HISTOEY 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 


BY 
H.    G.    KITTREDGE 

AND 

A.    C.   GOULD. 


PUBLISHED    BY 

THE   T.    K.    EARLE   MANUF'G   COMPANY, 
WORCESTER,    MASS. 

1886. 


Copyright,  1885, 
BT    A.    C.    GOULD. 


PRESS  OF 

ROCKWELL    AND    CHURCHILL, 
BOSTON. 


T 


PREFACE. 


PORTIONS  of  the  matter  contained  in  the  following 
chapters  have  previously  appeared  in  papers  devoted 
to  the  textile  industry.  Recognizing  the  value  of 
this,  and  knowing  its  perishable  nature  if  recorded 
only  in  a  newspaper,  the  publishers  have  corrected 
certain  errors  in  what  has  heretofore  appeared  in 
print,  have  made  many  additions,  and  by  printing 
and  circulating  it  in  book  form  among  their  friends 
and  customers  they  wish  to  commemorate  the  cen- 
tennial anniversary  of  the  existence  of  their  Vusiness. 

As  the  late  TIMOTHY  K.  EARLE  contributed  so 
much  to  bring  the  Card-Clothing  Industry  to  its 
present  condition  in  this  country,  the  publishers 
deem  it  only  fitting  that  his  portrait  and  a  slight 
memoir  of  his  life  should  appear  in  these  pages. 

T.   K.    EARLE  M'F'G  COMPANY. 

WORCESTER,  MASS.,  January,  1886. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 
Its   Early   History   and   Inventions       ....  7 

CHAPTER    II. 

Pliny  Earle  and  his  Successors. — Record  of  a  Cen- 
tury. —  The  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany   18 

CHAPTER    III. 

Eleazer  Smith.  —  His  Efforts  to  Perfect  the  Card- 
setting  Machine 24 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Amos  Whittemore.  —  His  Contribution  to  the  Card- 
Clothing  Industry.  — Perfection  of  the  Card-setting 
Machine  .  34 


6  AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  V. 

Growth  of   the  Card-Clothing   Industry,  and  Sketches 

of  Parties   Engaged   in   its   Manufacture      .         .         55 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Later  Inventions  and  Improvements  in  the  Manu- 
facture of  Card-Clothing.  —  Varieties  made  .  70 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Description  of  Various  Processes  in  the  Manufact- 
ure of  Card-Clothing.  —  Preservation  of  the  first 
Card-setting  Machines 77 

APPENDIX 85 

INDEX  95 


HISTOET 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

ITS    EARLY   HISTORY    AND    INVENTIONS. 

THE  importance  the  card-clothing  industry  bears  to 
the  textile  industry  of  this  country  is  manifested  in  the 
fact  that  it  directly  contributes  to  the  successful  em- 
ployment of  $350,000,000  of  capital  which  is  invested 
in  cotton  and  woolen  manufactures.  With  only  three 
exceptions,  the  industry  is  confined  to  six  towns  in 
the  State  of  Massachusetts  ;  and,  although  no  large 
foi'tunes  have  been  amassed  by  those  engaged  in  this 
industry,  they  have  in  most  cases  been  prosperous, 
largely  due  to  the  fact  that  American  card-clothing 
manufacturers  are,  as  a  class,  men  of  thrifty  and 
correct  habits,  their  business  requiring  the  greatest 


8  HISTORY  OF  THE 

care  and  constant  personal  supervision,  and  neces- 
sitating employe's  possessing  the  same  qualifica- 
tions. 

The  use  of  some  instrument  for  carding,  or  pre- 
paring wool  to  facilitate  its  being  spun  into  thi-ead,  has 
been  among  the  devices  of  man  from  the  earliest  eras 
of  historical  record.  It  is  doubtful  if  carding  was 
contemporaneous  with  spinning,  for  it  is  quite  possi- 
ble to  spin  the  raw  material  into  yarn  without  the 
intervention  of  any  mechanical  contrivance.  The 
history  of  card  clothing  as  we  know  it  to-day,  in  its 
manufacture  by  machinery,  is  scarcely  a  century  old. 
Immediately  before  this  the  making  of  card  clothing 
was  the  work  purely  of  manual  labor,  and  the  substi- 
tution of  mechanical  means  did  not  affect  the  princi- 
ple of  construction.  With  the  inventions  in  textile 
machinery  that  rapidly  followed  each  other  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  necessity  of 
some  expedient  by  which  card  clothing  could  be  more 
rapidly  and  uniformly  made,  was  imperative  ;  without 
it  the  ingenuity  of  man  would  have  been  seriously 
impeded  in  bringing  his  schemes  to  a  satisfactory 
fruition.  The  manufacture  of  card  clothing  by  ma- 
chinery, before  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century, 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.  9 

would  not  have  been  a  necessity,  and  therefore  it 
lacked  an  incentive. 

The  fabrication  of  cloth  by  machinery  which  led  to 
our  present  system  of  manufacture,  had  its  com- 
mencement in  1738  with  John  Wyatt's  patent  of  a 
cotton-spinning  machine. 

An  era  of  inventions  now  seemed  to  be  intuitively 
felt,  and  new  appliances  steadily  followed  one  another 
in  progressive  strides  toward  enlarged  operations  in 
commercial  and  manufacturing  enterprises.  In  1743 
John  Kaye  brought  forth  his  fly-shuttle,  which  re- 
ceived a  new  value  by  his  son's  invention  of  the 
rising-box  on  the  loom,  in  1769.  The  most  interest- 
ing invention  connected  with  our  subject  was  that  of 
Lewis  Paul,  who  patented,  in  1748,  a  cylinder-card 
for  carding  cotton,  the  cylinder  being  covered  with 
sheet  card  clothing,  and  this  obliged  further  inven- 
tions to  dispose  of  the  more  rapid  accumulation  of 
carded  stock.  The  Spinning-Jenny,  Throstle-Frame, 
and  Mule,  soon  succeeded,  to  be  followed  by  the 
Power-Loom.  Inventions  for  converting  stock  into 
cloth  had  now-assumed  a  practicability  that  demanded 
some  mechanical  method  by  which  the  cotton  used 
could  be  more  readily  prepared  for  manufacture. 


10  HISTORY  OF  THE 

This  was  happily  consummated  by  Eli  Whitney  in 
1792,  in  his  invention  of  the  Saw  Cotton-Gin. 

The  rotary  card  of  Lewis  Paul,  is,  in  principle,  the 
same  as  used  to-day  in  cotton-mills. 

Like  many  others,  whose  creative  powers  have  con- 
tributed to  the  industrial  progress  of  mankind,  Paul 
was  not  successful  in  his  operations,  and  his  machines 
passed  into  the  hands  of  a  hat  manufacturer  of 
Leominster,  England,  who  applied  them  to  the  card- 
ing of  wool.  The  conception,  the  invention  of  Paul, 
however,  did  not  lie  dormant,  for  in  1 760  the  cylinder- 
card  was  introduced  into  Lancashire,  near  Wigan,  for 
the  carding  of  cotton.  Ten  years  after  this  Sir 
Richard  Arkwright  greatly  improved  the  machine  by 
making  it  more  automatic,  in  the  application  of  a  con- 
tinuous feed-table,  and  of  an  additional  but  smaller 
cylinder,  known  as  the  doffer,  from  which  the  cotton 
was  continuously  discharged  by  the  operation  of  a 
vibrating  comb.  The  practicability  of  this  new  sys- 
tem was  immediately  appreciated,  was  patented  in 
1775,  and  became  an  important  factor  in  the  growth  of 
English  manufacture. 

The  objects  of  carding  are  to  detach  the  fibres  of 
the  stock  and  la}T  them  parallel,  and  the  accomplish- 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         \\ 

inent  of  these  rests  in  the  reciprocal  motion  of  two 
surfaces  which  are  covered  with  short,  pointed  teeth, 
and  between  which  the  stock  is  placed.  It  is  to  these 
pointed  teeth  that  we  propose  to  devote  this  series  of 
articles. 

During  our  Revolutionary  "War  communication 
with  foreign  nations  was  practically  at  a  stand-still, 
and  this  serious  interruption  greatly  affected  our  in- 
dustries by  making  all  machinery  and  implements 
very  expensive,  even  if  it  were  possible  to  obtain 
them  at  all.  Realizing  the  urgency  of  the  situation, 
several  of  the  colonies  passed  resolutions  "  recom- 
mending and  encouraging  bounties  to  manufacturers 
of  wool  and  cotton  cards,  iron  wire,  etc."  The  making 
of  cards  for  carding  cotton  and  wool  was  as  much  a 
part  of  the  economy  of  a  community,  as  the  spinning- 
wheel  and  hand-loom.  The  garments  of  a  household 
were  dependent  on  the  first  process  which  the  hand- 
cards  gave  to  the  raw  material ;  without  them  the 
wool  of  the  sheep  and  the  cotton  of  the  fields  would 
have  remained  unwrought.  The  significance  of  en- 
couraging their  manufacture  was  too  apparent  to  the 
isolated  colonists  ;  the  few  small  shops  then  existing 
were  inadequate  to  the  demand,  and  the  high  cost  of 


12  HISTORY  OF  THE 

materials  prevented  their  continuance  without  colonial 
or  public  assistance. 

There  are  records  of  the  existence  of  several  estab- 
lishments for  the  manufacture  of  cards  during  the 
Revolutionary  War.  There  was  one  at  Providence, 
R.I.,  which  was  conducted  by  Daniel  Anthony.  The 
colony  of  Connecticut,  fully  recognizing  the  importance 
of  sustaining  the  card  industry,  and  the  subsidiary  in- 
dustry of  wire-drawing,  gave  a  substantial  assistance 
in  the  form  of  a  loan  of  $1,500,  in  1775,  to  one  Nathan- 
iel Niles,  of  Norwich,  to  enable  him  to  prosecute  the 
manufacture  of  fine  iron  wire  for  card-teeth.  Mr. 
Niles  erected  buildings  for  the  purpose,  and  kept  his 
works  running  till  sometime  after  the  close  of  the  war. 
The  high  cost  of  manufactured  iron,  as  well  as  the 
difficulty  of  procuring  it,  was  particularly  felt  in  the 
supply  of  tacks  used  in  the  card  business,  and  this  led 
Jeremiah  Wilkinson,  of  Cumberland,  II. I.,  a  hand- 
card-manufacturer,  to  undertake  the  making  of  tacks  by 
cutting  them  out  from  sheet -iron  with  a  pair  of  shears, 
and  hammering  heads  on  them  in  a  vice.  Among 
the  earliest  inventions  for  the  making  of  card-teeth 
by  machinery  was  that  of  Oliver  Evans,  in  1778, 
a  young  man  of  Philadelphia,  who  was  employed  in 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY,        13 

manufacturing  card-teeth  by  hand.  His  machine 
was  capable  of  making  1,500  teeth  a  minute, 
which  was  a  great  advance  over  anything  ever 
done  before.  Not  meeting  with  the  patronage  and 
support  which  he  anticipated  he  disposed  of  his 
machine  and  plans  to  other  parties.  He  afterwards 
devised  plans  for  pricking  the  leather,  and  for 
cutting,  bending,  and  setting  the  teeth  ;  but  these  he 
abandoned  because  of  the  disheartening  results  of 
his  former  efforts.  Others,  however,  took  them  up, 
and  they  furnished  the  foundation  of  subsequent 
patents. 

The  inventions  of  Evans  are  thought  to  have  been 
applied  to  machines  used  by  Giles  Richards,  of  Boston, 
in  1788,  who  had  established  the  hand-card  business, 
and  erected  a  factory  near  Windmill  Bridge.  The 
power  of  the  mill  was  derived  from  a  wind-wheel.  A 
machine  tended  by  one  man  was  capable  of  cutting 
and  bending  wire  in  twelve  hours  sufficient  for  240 
cards,  at  a  great  reduction  in  cost  of  labor.  The 
factory  was  considered  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
industries  of  Boston,  and  was  referred  to  with  pride 
by  the  local  inhabitants.  Strangers  visited  it,  when 
permitted,  with  more  than  ordinary  interest,  and  it 


14  HISTORY  OF  THE 

was  opened  to  the  inspection  of  President  Washington 
during  one  of  his  Eastern  tours,  who  intently  watched 
the  mechanical  operations  that  furnished,  in  the  mill 
and  at  home,  employment  for  900  persons  in  the 
manufacture  of  63,000  pairs  of  cards  per  annum. 
Washington  wrote,  in  1789,  of  these  machines  as 
"  executing  every  part  of  the  work  in  a  new  and 
expeditious  manner,  especially  in  cutting  and  bending 
teeth,  which  are  done  at  one  stroke." 

Rude  and  imperfect  as  the  machines  "would  be  con- 
sidered now,  they  were  then  the  wonder  of  the  com- 
munity, in  that  the}'  had  carried  the  manufacture  of 
cards  far  in  advance  of  anything  ever  accomplished 
in  England,  cheapening  production  in  the  face  of  dis- 
advantages to  the  extent  of  allowing  exportation  at 
a  profit.  Mr.  Richards  had  at  one  time  associated 
with  him,  Amos  and  William  Whittemore.  Mr.  Giles 
Richards'  brother  Mark  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  in  the  manufacture  of  cards  in  1794,  near 
Faneuil  Hall.  The  factories  of  Giles  and  Mark  Rich- 
ards and  one  operated  by  Amos  Whittemore  sup- 
plied four-fifths  of  the  number  of  cards  made  in  the 
State,  sending  a  large  portion  of  the  production  to 
the  Southern  States.  These  three  establishments 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         15 

made  12,000  dozens  of  wool  and  cotton  cards,  con- 
suming 35,000  tanned  sheep  and  calf-skins,  and  $26,- 
000  worth  of  iron  wire,  which  gave  employment  to 
over  2,000  men,  women,  and  children.  The  wire  was 
obtained  from  a  wire-mill  at  Dedham,  Mass.,  which 
was  erected  specially  for  the  manufacture  of  wire  for 
cards  and  fish-hooks.  The  usual  process  of  making 
cards  at  this  time  was  to  take  a  strip  of  leather  fifteen 
to  twenty  inches  long,  by  four  inches  wide,  and  rule ' 
it  off  into  small  quadrilateral  sections.  Two  holes 
were  made  at  a  time  by  a  double-needled  pricker,  at 
the  intersections  of  the  lines,  and  the  two-pronged 
staples,  which  had  been  previously  bent  in  a  machine, 
were  inserted  into  the  holes,  one  at  a  time,  by  hand. 
The  second  bend  on  the  staple  then  being  made,  the 
card  was  tacked  on  a  board  ready  to  be  used  for 
carding  either  wool  or  cotton. 

About  the  year  1784  a  Mr.  Chittenden,  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  devised  a  machine  for  taking  the  wire 
from  the  coil,  cutting  it  into  teeth  and  giving  them 
the  first  or  double  bend.  It  was  capable  of  making 
86,000  teeth  in  an  hour.  It  is  possible  Mr.  Giles  Rich- 
ards took  advantage  of  this  machine  as  well  as  of 
the  plans  of  Mr.  Evans. 


16  HISTORY  OF  THE 

In  1785  the  town  of  Leicester,  Mass.,  received  the 
foundation  of  its  prosperity  in  the  manufacture  of 
card  clothing,  through  the  enterprise  of  Edmond 
Snow,  who  then  commenced  the  making  of  hand- 
cards  which  were  mostly  used  for  wool  by  the  spinsters 
of  the  neighborhood. 

The  young  Republic  of  the  United  States  was  fully 
alive  to  the  necessity  of  an  industrial  independence 
as  well  as  a  political  one.  The  States  had  incorpo- 
rated many  of  their  prerogatives  into  a  general  con- 
stitution governing  the  whole,  which  gave  a  mutual 
dependence  on  one  another.  Each  and  every  State 
became  sensible  of  the  importance  of  inviting  to  our 
country  the  skill  of  the  Old  World,  and  encouraging 
the  ingenuity  of  native  talent.  The  field  was  open  to 
usefulness. 

In  1789  Samuel  Slater  left  England,  and  landed  in 
New  York  ;  in  the  year  following  he  was  induced  to 
begin  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  by  machinery, 
which  he  did  in  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  thereby 
originating  in  this  country  the  manufacture  of  cotton- 
cloth  by  mechanical  power.  One  of  his  most  annoy- 
ing obstacles  was  the  difficulty  of  procuring  a  supply 
of  properly  constructed  card  clothing,  and  it  was  not 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         17 

overcome  until  1790,  when  he  fortunateh*  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Pliny  Earle,  of  Leicester,  Mass.,  who 
had  been  in  the  hand-card  business  since  1786.  It 
was  a  new,  untried  undertaking,  but  Mr.  Earle  agreed 
to  make  for  Mr.  Slater  the  clothing  for  his  machines  ; 
and  this  decision  gave  to  Mr.  Earle  the  honor  of  being 
the  first  to  engage  in  the  manufacture  of  machine 
card  clothing  in  the  United  States.  The  cards  made 
for  Mr.  Slater  were  from  sheets  of  calf-skins,  cut  into 
strips  18  inches  by  4  inches.  The  teeth  were  made 
by  machinery,  but  the  holes  were  pricked  by  hand 
with  a  couple  of  needles  fastened  in  a  handle.  One 
hundred  thousand  holes  were  thus  pricked.  Mr. 
Slater  put  the  clothing  on  his  machine,  but  was  not 
successful  in  making  it  do  good  work,  much  to  his 
vexation  of  mind  and  body.  With  his  natural  deter- 
mination he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  a  distance 
of  forty  miles  to  Leicester,  Mass.,  where  he  found  Mr. 
Earle,  who  accompanied  him  back  to  his  mill  to  set 
things  right,  if  possible.  Mr.  Earle  found  that  the 
teeth  had  been  pressed  down  by  too  severe  grinding 
and  hard  usage  ;  but  these  he  soon  raised  and  placed 
in  position,  which  rectified  the  difficulty  to  the  satis- 
faction of  Mr.  Slater. 


18  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  II. 

PUNY     EARLE      AND     HIS     SUCCESSORS.  RECORD     OF     A 

CENTURY.  THE       T.       K.       EARLE        MANUFACTURING 

COMPANY. 

PLINY  EARLE  was  born  Dec.  17,  1762.  He  was  a 
man  of  sound  common-sense,  cultivation,  and  great 
hospitality,  and  lived  in  a  large  mansion  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  town  of  Leicester,  Mass. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  hand-cards,  commencing  his  business  in  1786, 
and  in  1790,  as  previously  stated,  he  produced  for 
Samuel  Slater  the  first  machine  card  clothing  made 
in  America ;  thus  he  largely  contributed  towards  suc- 
cessfully planting  this  now  great  manufacturing 
industry.  The  business  which  Mr.  Earle  began 
in  a  small  way  has  ever  since  been  kept  in  the  Earle 
family,  descending  from  generation  to  generation. 

The  leather  first  used  by  Mr.  Earle  was  calf -skin, 
but  in  time  he  adopted  cowhide,  which  was  tanned 
especially  for  the  purpose.  For  hand-cards  sheep- 
skin was  in  general  use.  The  teeth  in  the  clothing 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        19 

for  Mr.  Slater's  cards  were  set  diagonally,  which  led 
Mr.  Earle  to  the  invention  of  a  machine  for  pricking 
twilled  cards,  for  which  he  obtained  a  patent,  Dec.  6, 
1803.  The  letters-patent  were  destroyed  in  the  fire 
of  1836,  and  have  not  been  restored.  In  1791  his 
brothers,  Jonathan  and  Silas,  became  associated  with 
him  in  business,  under  the  firm-name  of  Pliny  Earle 
&  Brothers.  In  1815  Silas  Earle  commenced  busi- 
ness in  his  own  name,  and  SD  continued  till  his  death 
in  1842.  He  accumulated  a  liberal  fortune  and  built 
a  large  mansion  not  far  from  his  brother  Pliny's.  Mr. 
Pliny  Earle  died  in  1832,  and  left  a  reputable  name 
and  business,  which  had  a  beginning  in  178G,  to  suc- 
cessors, who  are  now  represented  in  the  well-known 
concern  of  T.  K.  Earle  Manufactui'ing  Company,  of 
Worcester,  Mass.,  which  was  formed  Jan.  1,  1880. 

Timothy  Keese  Earle,  whose  portrait  occupies  the 
fir.^t  page  of  this  woi'k,  was  born  Jan.  11,  1823.  He 
was  a  son  of  Henry  and  Ruth  Keese  Earle,  of  Leices- 
ter, Mass. 

At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  commenced  the  business 
of  card-making  with  his  uncle,  Silas  Earle,  and  in  a 
few  years  purchased  his  business.  He  subsequently, 
in  1842,  moved  his  business  to  Worcester  and  associ 


20  HISTORY  OF  THE 

ated  his  brother  Edward  Earle  with  him,  under  the 
firm  name  of  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  In  1857  they  built  the 
largest  factory  in  America  for  the  manufacture  of  card 
clothing,  and,  with  the  many  additions  made  since  it 
was  first  constructed,  it  is  still  much  larger  than  any 
other  American  establishment  for  this  business. 

Edward  Earle  retired  from  the  business  in  1869  and 
died  May  19,  1877,  and  his  interest  in  the  business  was 
purchased  by  T.  K.  Earle's  twin  brother,  Thomas,  who 
died  in  1871.  In  1872  Edwin  Brown,  of  Worcester,  a 
son-in-law  of  T.  K.  Earle,  became  a  partner  in  the  busi- 
ness. In  1880  a  company,  underthe  name  of  the  T.  K. 
Earle  Manufacturing  Company,  was  formed  with  T.  K. 
Earle  as  president,  and  Edwin  Brown  as  agent  and  treas- 
urer. T.  K.  Earle  died  Oct.  1, 1881,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
eight  years.  He  was  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  card- 
clothing  business  in  America.  Quick  to  recognize 
ability  in  others,  and  to  appreciate  what  was  needed 
in  his  business,  he  always  associated  with  himself 
employe's  and  mechanics  of  only  the  highest  ability, 
and  most  of  the  important  improvements  in  the  manu- 
facture of  card  clothing  originated  in  his  factory. 
The  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company  abate  no 
part  of  their  predecessor's  energy  or  determination  to 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHIXG  INDUSTRY.         21 

make  the  best  goods  that  can  be  produced.  The  most 
recent  and  improved  card-setting  machine  has  been  in- 
vented in  their  shop  by  Oliver  Arnold,  who  inherits  the 
inventive  genius  of  his  father,  Addison  Arnold,  who 
was  one  of  the  early  card-makers  and  inventors.  T. 
K.  Earle  and  Co.  were  the  first  to  publish  a  book  of 
estimates  of  the  number  of  square  feet  of  card  cloth- 
ing required  to  cover  any  size  cylinder.  They  printed 
five  large  editions  of  this  most  useful  work  to  carders, 
and  distributed  them  gratuitously  among  their  cus- 
tomers. Before  this  book  of  estimates  was  issued 
bills  for  card  clothing  could  not  be  verified  without 
long  calculations  being  made.  It  was  during  a  visit 
to  the  card-setting  machine-room  of  the  T.  K.  Earle 
Manufacturing  Company  that  a  well-known  English 
card-maker,  after  examining  the  fine  work  of  the  ma- 
chines, said,  "  If  I  were  going  to  start  another  card 
factory  in  England,  I  should  order  American  machines, 
as  they  are  much  superior  to  the  English,  and  turn  out 
finer  work."  The  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company 
own  a  number  of  patents  on  their  improvements  in  the 
method  of  producing  card  clothing.  Pliny  Earle  made 
one  kind  of  card  clothing,  viz.,  iron  wire  teeth  set  by 
hand  in  leather.  To  show  the  difference  in  the  demand 


22  HISTORY  OF  THE 

for  card  clothing  between  that  time  and  the  present, 
the  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company  now  make 
all  kinds  of  leather  card  clothing,  using  both  hemlock 
and  oak  tanned  leather,  over  ten  varieties  of  rubber- 
faced  card  clothing,  over  ten  varieties  of  cloth  card 
clothing,  and  use  eighteen  or  more  sizes  of  soft  steel 
wire,  eleven  or  more  sizes  of  hardened  and  tempered 
steel  wire,  besides  tinned  wire  and  brass  wire  of  vari- 
ous shapes  and  sizes  They  curry  their  own  leather, 
manufacture  card  cloths  and  rubber-faced  card  cloths 
for  themselves,  and  for  other  card-makers.  They  have 
built  almost  all  their  card-setting  machines  in  their 
own  machine-shop,  and  are  constantly  making  im- 
provements in  the  quality  and  the  methods  of  making 
card  clothing. 

The  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
Worcester,  Mass.,  have  manufactured  double  and 
single  cover  cloth  for  foundation  for  card  clothing 
for  the  past  fifteen  years,  having  special  and  improved 
machinery  for  the  purpose,  and  in  1883  they  built  a 
factory  on  their  premises  for  the  manufacture  of  all 
kinds  of  card  cloths,  including  vulcanized  rubber  fac- 
ings. With  the  very  best  American  and  English 
machinery,  and  the  most  improved  process  of  vul- 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         23 

canizing  rubber  for  this  purpose,  they  are  now  pre- 
pared to  furnish  not  only  their  own  large  card-cloth- 
ing factory  with  card  cloths,  but  have  sufficient 
capacity  to  make  them  for  all  the  card-makers  in 
America. 

Since  they  first  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
card  cloth,  which  was  formerly  all  imported  from 
England,  the  price  of  rubber  card  cloth  (one  of  their 
specialties)  has  decreased  over  fifty  per  cent., 
thereby  reducing  the  cost  of  card  clothing  of  this  kind, 
to  manufacturers,  from  ten  to  thirty-five  per  cent.  At 
a  recent  industrial  exhibition  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 
England,  this  company  exhibited  their  products, 
being,  we  believe,  the  first  and  only  American  exhibit 
of  card  clothing.  A  medal  was  awarded  them  for 
excellence  of  the  goods. 

We  have  here  the  history  of  an  honorable  and  suc- 
cessful business,  a  century  old,  that  began  with 
limited  facilities,  in  a  room  of  a  few  feet  square,  and 
which  has  developed  into  one  of  national  import,  con- 
tributing largely  to  the  healthy  growth  of  an  im- 
portant industry,  which  now  requires  a  floor  space  of 
over  an  acre  in  extent  to  do  its  work  and  meet  the 
demands  upon  it. 


24  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  III. 

ELEAZER     SMITH.  HIS  EFFORTS  TO  PERFECT  THE  CARD- 
SETTING    MACHINE. 

ABOUT  the  time  the  rotary  carding-machiue  of 
Lewis  Paul  was  struggling  for  a  recognition  in  Eng- 
land there  was  born  in  Medfield,  Mass.,  in  17;j4,  a 
youth,  of  humble  parentage,  by  the  name  of  Eleazer 
Smith.  His  education  partook  of  the  best  that  the 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  furnished  in  arithmetic, 
grammar,  geography,  reading  and  writing.  A  nat- 
ural student,  fond  of  reading,  and  blessed  with  a 
retentive  memory,  he  secured  what  books  he  could 
on  astronomy,  botany  and  chemistry,  and  became 
well  versed  in  these  subjects.  His  mechanical  turn 
of  mind  and  studious  habits  seemed  to  fit  him  for 
certain  branches  of  surgery,  in  which  he  was  con- 
sidered quite  skilful.  In  early  life  he  moved  to  the 
adjoining  town  of  "Walpole,  where  he  afterwards 
lived.  His  house  and  shop  occupied  one  of  the  most 
eligible  locations  in  the  place,  on  a  high  elevation, 
from  which  an  extended  view  was  to  be  had  of  fields 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        25 

and  scattered  woodlands.  The  buildings  disappeared 
long  ago,  and  all  trace  of  the  spot  is  found  only  in  a 
cellar-hole,  a  few  old  bricks  that  once  answered  for  a 
chimney  fireplace,  and  some  old  poplar  trees  that 
stand  like  monumental  shafts. 

That  he  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  erudition  is 
noted  in  the  visits  he  was  accustomed  to  receive  from 
acknowledged  scientific  and  professional  men,  for 
consultation  and  information.  Dr.  Jackson,  of  Bos- 
ton, was  a  frequent  visitor.  His  favorite  occupation 
was  in  mechanics,  and  many  devices  attest  his 
ingenuity.  In  his  boyhood  he  made  a  wooden  spring 
trap  for  catching  rabbits,  that  became  a  coveted 
instrument  for  sport,  and  which  has  not  yet  outlived 
its  usefulness.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  he 
constructed  a  complete  watch,  and  encased  it  in  a 
white-oak  knot,  which  he  fashioned  with  his  jack- 
knife.  It  kept  good  time.  He  presented  it  to  Mr. 
Aaron  Wight,  of  Medway,  who  was  so  well  pleased 
with  it  and  with  Smith's  ingenuity,  that  he  gave  him 
his  board  for  four  months,  and  aided  him  in  making  a 
complement  of  tools  for  the  manufacture  of  watches 
and  clocks.  One  of  his  products  was  a  clock,  with 
wheels  of  apple-tree  wood  and  a  bell  made  from  a 


26  HISTORY  OF  THE 

wineglass,  which  attracted  the  notice  of  Simon 
Pettee,  a  clock-maker  of  Wrentham,  who  endeavored 
to  secure  his  services  ;  but  his  father  was  not  disposed 
to  let  him  turn  his  attention  to  such  things,  which  he 
considered  as  of  no  profit.  A  clock  of  his,  nearly 
one  hundred  years  old,  is  still  running  in  Walpole, 
and  is  in  possession  of  Mr.  Lewis  Bowker.  It  is  a 
curious  and  simple  piece  of  mechanism,  with  only 
three  wheels,  and  a  pendulum  which  beats  seconds. 
The  face  is  seven  inches  in  diameter,  and  made  of 
brass  with  the  name  of  Eleazer  Smith  engraved  on 
it. 

With  many  other  compatriots  he  enlisted  in  the 
army,  in  1776,  and  marched  to  the  taking  of  Ticon- 
deroga ;  but  his  military  career  was  not  one  congenial 
to  his  taste,  and  after  several  adventures  he  returned 
home  and  busied  himself  in  inventing  machines  for 
making  cards,  needles,  tacks,  nails,  pins,  and  other 
contrivances,  so  as  "  to  do  without  England,"  as  he 
expressed  himself.  His  machine  for  the  manufacture 
of  solid-headed  pins,  and  drawing  the  wire  for  them, 
was  well  devised  for  making  1,500  pins  a  day;  but 
they  had  to  be  pointed  on  a  grindstone.  The  clever- 
ness with  which  he  c&uld  turn  his  hand  in  mechanism 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        27 

gained  for  him  quite  an  extended  reputation.  Mr. 
Jeremiah  Wilkinson,  a  card-maker,  of  Cumberland, 
R.I.,  set  him  to  work  in  the  planning  and  construc- 
tion of  a  machine  for  making  card-teeth,  which  he 
did  in  one  month.  The  operation  of  this  machine 
proved  very  satisfactory,  and  when  known,  was  the 
means  of  opening  engagements  to  him  from  three 
parties  who  wished  him  to  build  like  machines  for 
them.  A  pair  of  hand-cards  was  valued  at  this  time 
at  sixteen  shillings.  The  erection  of  his  house  and 
shop  involved  him  in  debt,  and  his  financial  embar- 
rassments forced  him  to  the  harder  labor  of  wood- 
chopping  and  general  farm-work  for  his  neighbors, 
which  brought  him  in  the  small  income  of  about  sev- 
enty-five cents  a  day. 

His  conception  of  a  machine  for  making  cards, 
which  would  combine  the  operations  of  bending  the 
teetfy  and  pricking  the  holes  into  the  leather,  was  being 
evolved  at  this  period  of  his  life,  but  his  straitened 
circumstances  too  frequently  required  him  to  turn  to 
diverting  engagements.  Mr.  Jonathan  Hale,  a  card- 
manufacturer,  of  Framingham,  having  heard  of  Smith's 
capabilities,  bargained  for  his  services  in  doing  all 
such  work  that  required  the  aptitude  of  an  ingenious 


28  HISTORY  OF  THE 

hand,  such  as  mending  cart-wheels  and  improving 
machines  for  making  card-teeth  and  tacks.  His 
plans  for  what  he  termed  the  "  Grand  Machine  to  Stick 
Cards,"  were  communicated  to  Mr.  Hale,  who  sympa- 
thized with  his  efforts  and  became  interested  in  their 
promotion.  His  creditors  so  worried  him  with  their 
importunities,  that  he  was  obliged  to  seclude  himself 
in  a  room  under  lock  and  key,  so  as  to  conduct  his 
work  uninterruptedly.  His  plans  were  probably  of 
slow  development,  as  Mr.  Hale  became  discouraged, 
and  on  the  payment  of  $150  released  himself  from 
further  obligations.  His  mind  bent  on  accomplish- 
ing his  purpose,  with  a  nature  hopeful  and  earnest, 
he  conquered  all  disposition  to  disappointment,  and 
dispelled  every  apparition  that  prophesied  failure. 
Of  an  ingenuous  temperament,  suspecting  none,  he 
willingly  unfolded  his  schemes  to  all  who  would 
favor  him  with  a  listening  ear.  Many  did  he  enter- 
tain with  the  revelation  of  his  designs,  as  he  depicted 
here  and  there  the  mutual  working  of  his  little  de- 
vices, and  portrayed  the  revolution  thev  would  occa- 
sion when  they  became  a  reality.  Few,  however,  be- 
lieved ;  and  the  apathetic  had  no  word  to  express, 
aside  from  pronouncing  his  notions  ridiculous.  Ad- 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         29 

verse  opinions  had  no  weight  with  him  ;  they  did  not 
diminish  the  confidence  he  had  in  his  ideas.  He 
would  often  say,  "  I  can  see  right  through  it ;  I  can 
see  how  every  part  will  move."  His  whole  nature 
was  concentrated  on  his  machine  ;  he  would  devote 
days  and  nights,  without  intermission,  to  his  work, 
scarcely  allowing  himself  time  to  eat,  and  paying  no 
attention  to  those  who  might  venture  near  him. 
With  a  mind  overtaxed  and  exhausted  he  would 
occasionally  leave  his  shop  and  roam  about  the  village, 
as  if  demented. 

In  1784  he  left  the  employment  of  Mr.  Hale.  At 
the  solicitation  of  Giles  Richards,  of  Boston,  he  sub- 
sequently went  to  work  in  the  card-factory  of  that 
gentleman,  who  had  formed  a  company,  consisting  of 
himself,  William  and  Amos  Whittemore,  and  others. 
He  remained  here  twenty-one  months,  effecting 
several  improvements  in  card-setting  machinery.  It 
was  during  his  engagement  with  this  company  that 
President  Washington  visited  the  factory  in  1789, 
when  the  machines  were  under  Mr.  Smith's  super- 
vision. They  elicited  praise  from  the  President, 
although  they  were  not  working  satisfactorily  and 
showed  signs  of  having  been  tampered  with.  Leaving 


30  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Boston  he  spent  a  whole  year  in  improving  a  nail- 
cutting  machine,  which  he  got  to  be  self-feeding  and 
to  cut  nails  with  the  fibre  of  the  iron.  This  machine 
came  into  general  use.  The  idea  of  it  largely  origi- 
nated from  a  former  invention  of  his  for  cutting  and 
heading  card-tacks.  While  at  work  completing  a 
machine  for  making  card  teeth,  he  was  visited  by  Col. 
Thomas  Denny,  Jr.,  of  Leicester,  who  paid  him  $93 
for  it.  In  1795  he  went  to  Newburyport  to  work 
for  Jacob  Perkins  in  his  brad-mill ;  but  because  of  a 
disagreement  in  regard  to  a  claim  of  originality  in  a 
nail-cutting  machine,  he  soon  returned  home.  Passing 
through  Boston  he  called  on  William  Whittemore,  who 
asked  him  if  he  thought  it  possible  to  construct  a 
machine  to  stick  cards.  He  answered  affirmatively, 
and  expressed  an  intention  to  accomplish  it  as 
soon  as  his  finances  would  admit  of  it.  He  had 
not  long  been  at  his  home  before  his  shop  was  the 
scene  of  busy  preparations  for  serious  labor  on  his 
"  Grand  Machine." 

While  his  heart  and  mind  were  thus  engrossed  he 
was  visited  from  time  to  time  by  those  interested  in 
the  manufacture  of  card  clothing,  and  especially  by 
Amos  Whittemore,  and  one  or  more  of  his  associates. 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        31 

Not  doubting  the  honest  purpose  of  his  visitors  he 
candidly  explained  his  work,  and  made  known  his 
ideas,  little  dreaming  that  his  frankness  could  possi- 
bly operate  to  his  disadvantage.  It  appears  that  he 
mistrusted  the  object  of  Amos  Whittemore's  comings, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  a  skilful  mechanic,  quick  to 
turn  new  ideas  to  account,  and  one  fully  alive  to  all 
improvements  iu  the  card  industry.  He  questioned 
Whittemore  acutely  if  he  was  not  also  engaged  on  a 
similnr  machine  ;  but  his  inquisitiveness  brought  none 
other  than  evasive  replies.  His  machine  was  grad- 
ually nearing  completion.  It  consisted  of  an  iron  bed- 
plate, twenty-four  inches  square,  with  wrought-irou 
posts  for  the  centre  and  working  parts,  lie  had  suc- 
ceeded in  making  it  prick  the  leather,  make  the  teeth 
and  set  them  in  straight,  and  was  about  to  apply  his 
ideas  in  putting  on  the  second  bend  to  the  teeth, 
when  he  heard  of  the  patent  granted  to  Amos  Whitte- 
more, in  1797,  who  had  forestalled  him  in  this  last 
contrivance  and  given  the  machine  an  automatic  com- 
pleteness. Mr.  Smith  was  inclined  to  contest  the 
validity  of  the  patent,  but  his  limited  means  and 
inability  to  secure  pecuniary  assistance,  together  with 
the  imperfect  knowledge  then  had  of  the  patent-laws, 


32  HISTORY  OF  THE 

prevented  him  from  doing  so.  Notwithstanding  this, 
he  perfected  his  machine  by  a  device  for  making  the 
second  bend,  but  he  never  derived  any  benefit  from 
it.  It  is  evident  that  the  achievement  of  Mr.  Wliitte- 
more  had  a  very  depressing  effect  on  Mr.  Smith,  and 
the  disappointment  was  so  overwhelming  that  he 
never  fully  recovered  from  it.  His  hopeful  prospects 
vanished  in  a  moment,  as  if  they  were  but  visions 
come  to  beguile  him  to  deeper  poverty  and  wretched- 
ness. Hours,  days,  years,  and  a  life  had  been  spent 
in  solving  a  problem  which,  when  near  consumma- 
tion, was  wrested  from  him  by  a  more  artful  hand 
than  his. 

In  1812  he  built  for  Pliny  Earle  &  Bros., 
of  Leicester,  a  machine  for  making  card-teeth,  to 
be  set  into  the  leather  by  hand.  This  machine  is 
still  in  existence,  and  one  who  has  seen  it  says : 
"  The  permanency  of  construction  and  beauty  of 
finish  would  do  credit  to  a  machinist  with  a  set  of 
tools  of  the  latest  improvements."  The  Whitte- 
more  patent  being  confined  to  the  exclusive  use  of 
a  few,  kept  the  old  practice  of  setting  the  teeth  in 
leather  by  hand  in  vogue  till  1828.  Mr.  Smith 
died  in  Walpole,  March  9,  1836,  aged  eighty-two 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        33 

years.  He  was  buried  in  the  country  graveyard, 
now  Rural  Cemetery,  where  a  plain  marble  slab  marks 
the  spot  of  his  last  resting-place.  In  1854  the  select- 
men of  the  town  made  an  effort  to  erect  a  monument 
to  his  memory,  but  without  success. 


34  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AMOS  WHITTEMORE,  HIS  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  CARD- 
CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.  PERFECTION  OF  THE  CARD- 
SETTING  MACHINE. 

AMONG  the  articles  subject  to  payment  of  duties  in 
the  first  tariff  act  of  1789  were  hand-cards  used  for 
wool  and  cotton.  For  every  dozen  imported  there 
was  levied  a  duty  of  fifty  cents,  and  this  was  con- 
tinued till  1812,  when  a  duty  of  one  dollar  was  im- 
posed. The  tariff  of  1816,  and  subsequent  ones, 
make  no  mention  of  them,  as  they  had  outlived  the 
necessity  of  special  protection.  The  last  decade  of 
the  eighteenth  century  was  developing  an  independ- 
ence in  our  industries,  in  sympathy  with  the  politi- 
cal stability  which  we  were  establishing  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth.  Several  woolen  and  cotton 
mills  were  started  in  embryo,  to  meet  certain  local 
wants  of  thrifty  housewives.  The  first  cotton  mill, 
and  the  first  woolen  mill,  showing  a  complete  system 
of  manufacture,  were  then  organized  as  the  beginning 
of  two  branches  of  a  vast  industry.  To  supply  the 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        35 

demands  of  these  new  and  growing  enterprises  the 
inventive  skill  of  the  American  mechanic  was  taxed 
to  the  utmost ;  and  to  encourage  and  protect  such  in 
the  benefits  and  emoluments  to  which  it  was  entitled, 
the  United  States  Government  enacted  certain  patent- 
laws,  which  were  early  called  into  requisition.  Very 
few  great  inventions  are  patented  in  any  country  5  that 
are  allowed  to  stand  unmolested  as  being  the  exclu- 
sive conception,  or  having  priority  in  conception,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  in  the  mind  of  the  patentee.  The 
greater  the  usefulness  of  the  invention  the  greater  will 
be  the  number  of  persistent  claimants,  often  with  just 
cause,  but  more  often  with  immature  pretensions  of 
fancies  that  have  not  got  beyond  the  realm  of 
thought,  and  lack  the  existence  of  a  reality.  Patents 
do  not  depend  on  conception,  but  on  execution  ;  and 
the  two  are  not  always  the  property  of  the  same 
person.  He  who  conceives  has  a  right  to  share  in 
the  honors  of  him  who  executes,  and  he  who  executes 
should  not  be  divested  of  the  glory  attending  the  con- 
version of  an  idea  into  a  fact,  of  transforming  a  cru- 
dity into  a  success.  To  determine  the  origin  of  an 
invention  is  a  difficult,  if  not  an  impossible,  task. 
The  most  beautiful  and  useful  mechanical  devices 


36  HISTORY  OF  THE 

with  which  we  are  familiar  are  simply  the  imitation 
of  the  action  of  the  human  hand.  Intercourse  with 
our  fellow-men  not  only  furnishes  an  incentive,  but 
serves  to  create  ideas  to  be  matured  into  practical 
application. 

Eleazer  Smith  is  entitled  to  all  the  encomiums 
which  have  been  connected  with  the  products  of  his 
consummate  skill  as  a  mechanic.  There  is  no  ques- 
tion of  his  ingenuity,  and  that  its  free  plav  was 
greatly  fettered  by  his  financial  embarrassments  and 
poverty.  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  devised  contriv- 
ances that  gave  great  promise  of  success  in  facilitating 
the  manufacture  of  card  clothing ;  and  that  he  should 
not  have  reaped  the  full  benefit  of  them  is  no  discredit 
to  him  ;  it  was  one  of  those  unfortunate  fates  that  not 
infrequently  befall  the  greatest  of  men.  Let  not 
one  jot  be  taken  from  whatever  is  due  to  the  inge- 
nuity of  Mr.  Smith ;  it  is  deserving  of  laurels ;  let 
them  there  remain.  In  dealing  with  the  history  of  an 
invention  we  are  apt  to  be  involved  in  a  series  of 
deductions  ;  and  though  history,  pure  and  simple,  is 
a  chronicle  of  facts,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  ascertain 
what  are  the  facts.  Let  us  review  for  a  moment. 
As  near  as  we  can  determine,  about  the  year  1780, 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        37 

Mr.  Smith  conceived  the  idea  of  one  machine  for 
combining  the  operations  of  bending  the  teeth  and 
pricking  the  holes  into  the  leather,  and  he  no  doubt 
experimented  upon  it  during  his  connection  with  Mr. 
Giles  Richards,  of  Boston.  We  have,  also,  mention 
of  a  plan  of  one  Oliver  Evans,  of  Philadelphia,  for 
pricking  the  leather,  and  for  cutting,  bending  and 
setting  the  teeth,  which,  it  has  been  thought,  was 
applied,  in  some  form,  to  the  machines  of  Giles 
Richards.  Again,  in  1784,  it  seems  that  a  Mr.  Chit- 
tenden,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  devised  a  machine  for 
taking  the  wire  from  the  coil,  cutting  it  into  teeth  and 
giving  them  the  first  or  double  bend  ;  and  this  device, 
it  has  been  thought,  was  also  taken  advantage  of  by 
Mr.  Richards,  who,  it  is  needless  to  say,  was  ac- 
tive in  all  things  necessary  to  promote  the  profitable 
growth  of  his  business.  Not  presuming  to  say  but 
that  Smith's  conceptions  were  formed  independent  of 
and  even  earlier  than  either  of  the  above,  is  it  not 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  derived  some  helpful 
aid  from  the  contrivances  in  operation  on  Mr.  Rich- 
ard's machines  while  he  was  in  that  gentleman's 
employ?  During  his  engagement  in  Boston  he  was 
well  acquainted  with  Amos  Whittemore,  and  knew 


38  HISTORY  OF  THE 

him  as  a  very  skilful  mechanic,  and,  so  far  as  is 
known,  was  on  friendly  terms  with  him.  It  is  nat- 
ural to  believe  that  these  two  men,  who  were  mutually 
interested  in  the  same  vocation,  working  side  by 
side,  would  talk  on  matters  that  absorbed  their  at- 
tention in  common,  and  become  more  or  less  familiar 
with  each  other's  plans.  Whittemore,  having  a 
stronger  nature,  was  probablv  more  discreet  in  im- 
parting his  schemes  than  Smith,  whose  ingenuous  and 
communicative  nature  would  not  allow  him  to  with- 
hold from  others  what  he  knew  and  what  he  was 
doing.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  Whittemore  got 
from  Smith  more  than  what  Smith  got  from  Whitte- 
more, but  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  Whittemore 
did  not  have  other  than  well-laid  plans  of  his  own 
for  his  machine  ;  for  it  is  not  disputed  that  he  was  an 
intelligent  and  proficient  workman.  It  is  impossible 
to  determine  where  to  divide  the  honors.  Two  things, 
however,  are  fixed :  Whittemore  gave  the  machine  an 
automatic  completeness,  and  secured  a  patent  for  it. 

The  life  of  Amos  Whittemore  runs  in  the  same 
channel  of  many  other  inventors,  with  its  hopes  and 
despondencies.  He  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Mass., 
April  19,  1759,  and  was  the  second  of  five  brothers, 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        39 

and  third  in  a  family  of  ten  children.  His  birthplace 
is  still  standing  near  the  dividing  line  between  Cam- 
bridge and  Arlington.  His  father  was  a  farmer  in 
moderate  circumstances,  whose  bodily  strength  and 
labors  were  actively  and  daily  needed  to  supply  the 
necessaries  for  his  large  family.  He  could  give  his 
children  none  other  than  the  elementary  education 
which  the  schools  of  his  neighborhood  furnished,  and 
when  their  strength  was  sufficient  to  be  helpful 
to  him  in  the  occupations  of  a  farm,  he  required  it  of 
them  ;  and  the  youthful  days  of  Amos  were  employed 
in  assisting  his  father  in  general  out-door  labors. 
Amos  was  of  a  meditative  and  philosophical  turn  of 
mind,  preferring  the  solitude  of  his  own  reflections  to 
the  genial  companionship  of  his  associates,  which, 
with  a  mechanical  aptitude,  seemed  naturally  to 
direct  him  to  the  abstruse  in  the  science  of  invention. 
He  was  early  made  to  feel  the  necessity  of  choosing 
an  employment  for  his  maintenance ;  and,  as  he  was 
left  free  to  make  a  choice,  he  selected  the  trade  of  a 
gunsmith,  as  having  an  immediate  future  of  more 
profit  than  anything  else  at  hand.  Serving  as  an 
apprentice,  he  assiduously  applied  himself  to  his  task 
and  invented  a  number  of  serviceable  implements, 


40  HISTORY  OF  THE 

which  his  employer  recognized  as  the  manifestation 
of  a  talent  far  above  the  mediocrity  of  a  common 
workman.  Among  the  many  ingenious  productions 
of  his  was  a  clock,  made  without  a  model,  which  long 
remained  in  the  possession  of  his  family.  A  Dr. 
Putnam,  of  Charlestown,  becoming  interested  and  in- 
timate in  his  work,  and  noticing  the  dexterity  with 
which  he  could  turn  his  inventive  talent,  suggested 
to  him  the  invention  of  a  self-acting  loom  for  weav- 
ing duck.  The  suggestion  was  at  once  acted  upon 
and  resulted  in  the  construction  of  a  loom,  which, 
according  to  some  information,  embraced  the  same 
principle  as  evolved  in  the  power-loom  of  the  present 
day.  The  times  were  not  propitious  at  this  period  of 
his  life  ;  he  found  but  little  inducement  to  be  zealous 
in  securing  the  adoption  of  his  devices ;  for  none 
seemed  to  care  to  improve  the  methods  then  in  use  ; 
matters  of  more  general  interest  were  then  engross- 
ing the  thoughts  of  his  fellow-men. 

During  the  war  he  was  much  of  the  time  out  of 
employment,  and  was  obliged  to  scrupulously  husband 
his  limited  resources.  Some  time  subsequent  to  1788 
he  and  his  brother  William,  together  with  five  others, 
became  associated  under  the  firm-name  of  Giles 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        41 

Richards  &  Co.,  for  the  manufacture  of  card  clothing, 
and  their  success  gave  them  a  wide  reputation.  Amos 
devoted  himself  to  the  mechanical  wants  of  the 
factory,  and  its  prosperity  was  largely  dependent 
on  his  management.  The  production  of  the  factory 
was  in  ready  demand,  but  the  expense  of  manufact- 
ure was  a  serious  encumbrance,  the  same  as  that 
connected  with  the  making  of  wool  and  cotton  cards 
everywhere,  because  of  the  imperfect  and  rude 
machines  in  use,  and  the  large  amount  of  manual 
labor  required.  Amos  quickly  realized  the  situation 
and  saw  the  opportunity  for  a  grand  and  substan- 
tial success  for  a  machine  that  would  unite  all  the 
operations  in  one  harmonious  whole.  The  occa- 
sion was  one  that  appealed  most  happily  to  his 
nature,  as  a  favorable  time  to  exercise  his  inventive 
ingenuity  with  a  hope  of  a  lucrative  return.  His 
mind  became  involved  in  a  series  of  evolutions, 
and  he  applied  himself  sedulously  to  experimental 
tasks  that  offered  any  promise  of  solving  the  question. 
He  kept  no  account  of  time  ;  day  and  night  had  no 
distinction  to  him,  and  physical  and  mental  exhaus- 
tion only  determined  the  time  for  rest.  He  unfolded 
his  plans  to  his  brother  William,  in  whom  he  had 


42  HISTORY  OF  THE 

implicit  confidence,  and  received  from  him  encourage- 
ment and  excellent  advice.  His  incessant  toil  threat- 
ened the  complete  undermining  of  his  constitution  ;  but 
to  him  this  was  of  momentary  consideration.  His  in- 
genuity was  taxed  to  the  utmost,  and  device  after 
device  was  attempted  and  rejected,  all  seeming  to  baffle 
and  militate  against  the  accomplishment  of  his  pur- 
pose. 

The  laws  of  physics  appeared  to  work  by  contraries. 
At  length  parts  began  to  work  in  more  harmony  with 
each  other,  and  he  realized  a  machine  to  draw  the 
wire  from  the  reel,  cut  and  shape  it,  pierce  the  holes 
in  the  leather,  and  place  the  staples  in  the  sheet ;  but 
the  forming  of  the  second  and  final  bend  in  the 
teeth  was  a  problem  that  vexed  his  very  soul  as  one 
of  insurmountable  difficulty.  Hope  was  followed  by 
despair,  and  the  most  glorious  prize  of  all  that  would 
crown  his  machine  with  perfection,  hovered  around 
him  like  a  phantom,  enticing  him  on  to  further  exer- 
tion, yet  eluding  his  grasp.  He  did  not  lack,  however, 
the  support  of  encouraging  friends,  who  believed  in 
his  ultimate  success  if  he  would  only  persevere  be- 
lievingly  and  courageously.  To  the  cheerful  assur- 
ances of  his  friends  may  be  attributed  much  of  his 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         43 

resolution  and  unremitting  ardor  in  forcing  his  scheme 
to  a  successful  finality. 

While  in  this  maze  of  doubt,  his  brain  hot  with 
feverish  uncertainty,  his  thoughts  dwelling  vaguely 
on  a  theory  of  possibilities,  his  exhausted  strength 
permitted  the  solution  to  come  to  him  in  a  dream. 
Such  is  the  testimony  of  some,  and,  whether  it  be  true 
or  not,  it  is  not  outside  a  common  experience  of 
many,  to  retire  at  night  with  a  mind  confused  and 
mj'stified  by  unabated  application  to  a  single  idea,  and 
wake  up  in  the  morning  with  it  fresh  and  clear  with 
the  mj-stery  revealed  and  elucidated,  as  if  it  were  the 
work  of  a  vision.  He  arose  at  early  dawn  with  a 
heart  full  of  emotion,  and  a  face  beaming  with  joy, 
and  eagerly  sought  his  workshop  to  place  on  his  ma- 
chine the  last  piece  of  mechanism  that  was  to  trans- 
form it  into  a  magnificent  consummation.  The  com- 
mencement and  the  achievement  covered  a  space  of 
three  months,  as  stated  in  a  memoir  of  him  ;  but  it  is 
hardly  consistent  with  his  nature  and  that  of  the  sub- 
ject to  confine  it  to  so  limited  a  period.  The  need  of 
such  a  machine  had  been  long  recognized  and  dis- 
cussed, and  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  so  earnest  and 
observant  a  mechanic  as  Whittemore  would  not 


44  HISTORY  OF  THE 

have  allowed  the  time  to  have  passed  without  prac- 
tically exercising  his  inventive  skill  in  accomplishing 
the  object.  The  invention  was  a  splendid  specimen 
of  "  construction,  precision  of  movement,  rapidity  of 
performance  and  perfection  of  execution.  It  must 
be  studiously  examined  to  be  justly  appreciated,  and 
its  complicated  performance  can  be  compared  with 
nothing  more  nearly  than  the  machinery  of  the  human 
system." 

The  Whittemore  brothers  took  with  them  to  Wash- 
ington a  full  sized  and  complete  machine,  as  a  model, 
to  be  shown  to  members  of  Congress,  from  which 
they  could  form  a  better  and  more  correct  judgment 
than  from  an}-  verbal  or  written  description  that 
could  be  given  of  it.  It  excited  much  curiosity  and 
admiration  at  the  astonishing  facility  with  which  it 
performed  its  work ;  and  especially  was  its  advantage 
to  the  woolen  and  cotton  industries  reckoned  upon 
as  incalculable.  The  petition  for  a  renewal  of  the 
patent  came  before  Congress  for  action,  and,  after 
a  little  deliberation,  it  was  favorably  considered  and 
granted,  March  3,  1809.  The  vote  on  the  final 
passage  of  the  renewing  act  was  fifty-five  in  the 
affirmative  and  eighteen  in  the  negative,  and  as 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        45 

there  is  no  record  of  the  speeches  made  on  this 
occasion,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing  the  nature 
of  the  objections  raised  against  the  extension,  or 
the  animosity  that  may  have  been  instigated  in 
opposition.  It  is  a  consistent  presumption,  how- 
ever, to  say  that  with  the  above  vote  there  was  some 
discussion  made  on  the  merits  of  the  invention,  or 
advisability  of  renewing  the  patent.  Unanimity 
would  have  been  anomalous  ;  blessings  and  great  in- 
ventions do  not  find  appreciation  without  exciting 
hostility  and  antagonistic  elements,  though  they  may 
arise  from  the  perversity  of  human  nature,  when 
disturbed  from  its  conservatism.  It  is  related  of 
John  Randolph,  of  Roanoke,  that,  when  the  question 
of  extending  the  patent  was  before  Congress,  he 
expressed  himself  with  that  emphatic  eloquence,  for 
which  he  was  noted:  "Yes,  I  would  renew  it  to  all 
eternity  !  for  it  is  the  only  machine  which  ever  had  a 
soul!!" 

The  act  of  renewal  was  as  follows  :  — 


An  Act  to  extend  to  Amos  Whittemore  and  Wm.  Whitte- 
more,  Jr.,  the  patent-right  to  a  machine  for  manufacturing 
Cotton  and  Wool  Cards. 


46  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled,  that 
all  the  privileges  and  benefits  granted  to  Amos^Whittemore, 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  in  consideration  of  a  machine 
invented  by  him  for  the  manufacture  of  Cotton  and  Wool 
Cards,  within  the  United  States,  by  a  patent  issued  from  the 
Department  of  State,  and  bearing  date  the  fifth  day  of  June, 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-seven,  be,  and  the 
same  are  hereby  extended  to  Amos  Whittemore  and  William 
Whittemore,  Jr.,  as  joint  proprietors  of  the  said  machine,  for 
and  during  the  term  of  fourteen  years,  to  commence  on  the 
fifth  day  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eleven ; 
anything  in  the  Act  entitled,  "  An  Act  to  promote  the  prog- 
ress of  useful  arts  ;  and  to  repeal  the  Act  heretofore  made  for 
that  purpose,"  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

J.    B.  VARNUM, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

J.  N.  MILBRIDGE, 
President  of  the  Senate,  pro  tern. 

March  3,  1809,  approved. — TH.  JEFFERSON. 
(Passed  the  House  Feb.  28,  1809.) 


In  the  year  1803  Samuel  Whittemore,  a  younger 
brother,  started  the  manufacture  of  cards  for  cotton 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        47 

and  wool  in  the  city  of  New  York,  as  a  branch  of  the 
business  established  in  Cambridge ;  and  the  novelty 
of  the  machine  attracted  no  little  attention.  The 
success  of  this  branch  is  not  given  us,  but  it  probably 
moved  along  slowly  and  inconsequentially  till  its 
reanimation  by  the  renewal  of  the  patent,  when 
efforts  were  soon  made  to  place  it  on  a  flourishing 
basis,  by  the  addition  of  capital,  to  secure  the  antici- 
pated demand  and  profit  resulting  from  the  practical 
monopoly  which  the  exclusive  control  of  the  ma- 
chine would  give.  It  was  not  long  in  waiting 
before  it  elicited  the  serious  consideration  of  men 
of  money. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  New 
York,  June  15,  1812,  incorporating  Anthony  Post, 
John  Van  Kleeck,  Samuel  Whitternore,  Isaac  Mar- 
quand  and  others,  as  the  New  York  Manufacturing 
Companv,  for  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  brass  wire, 
and  of  cotton  and  wool  cards,  with  a  capital  of 
$1,200,000.  The  ninth  section  of  the  act  provided 
that  "  the  corporation  shall,  as  soon  as  the  same  shall 
be  dul}1  organized,  contract  for  and  purchase  of  A.  & 
W.  Whittemore,  of  Boston,  the  machinery  owned  by 
them  for  cutting  and  sticking  card-teeth,  together 


48  HISTORY  OF  THE 

with  the  exclusive  right,  secured  to  them  by  letters- 
patent  from  the  United  States,  of  using  that  and 
such  machinery  for  the  term  of  thirteen  years."  The 
corporation  was  required  to  expend  by  the  1st  of 
November,  1813,  in  the  purchase  of  patent-right  and 
in  the  erection  of  manufacturing  houses,  machinery 
and  hydraulic  works,  $250,000,  and  $50,000  per  year 
afterwards,  till  the  capital  so  invested  should 
amount  to  $500,000,  which  should  be  kept  as  a  per- 
manent manufacturing  capital.  'The  corporation  was 
also  required  to  establish  in  the  city  of  New  York 
a  bank  of  deposit  and  discount,  and  to  employ 
such  parts  of  its  capital  stock  in  it  as  should 
not  be  otherwise  appropriated,  not  exceeding 
$700,000. 

The  basis  of  this  enterprise  was  the  machinery  for 
making  cotton  and  wool  cards,  invented  by  Amos 
Whittemore,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  patented 
June  5,  1797.  Samuel  Whittemore  was  a  brother 
of  the  inventor,  and  on  the  20th  day  of  July,  1812, 
$120,000  was  paid  for  the  patent-right  for  the  term 
of  thirteen  years,  and  for  the  machtnerj'  of  the 
Messrs.  Whittemore.  This  sale  took  from  Amos 
Whittemore  all  the  rights  and  interest  he  had  in  his 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        49 

invention,  and  with  his  share  of  the  proceeds  he 
retired  to  a  pleasant  estate  which  he  purchased  in 
West  Cambridge,  now  Arlington,  Mass.,  and  lived  a 
quiet  and  happy  life,  that  seemed  more  congenial  to 
his  nature  than  the  vicissitudes  of  a  manufacturing 
and  mercantile  vocation. 

The  New  York  Company  erected  extensive  works 
on  New  York  island,  corresponding  with  the  large 
capital  which  had  been  invested  in  the  undertaking, 
and  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  main  build- 
ing was  attended  by  elaborate  ceremonies  in  harmony 
with  the  hopeful  prospects  that  the  present  appeared 
to  foretell. 

The  calamities  of  war,  which  at  this  time  was  de- 
stroying our  commerce  on  the  seas  and  subverting 
our  intercourse  with  foreign  countries,  threw  upon  us 
the  necessity  of  supplying  our  wants  from  domestic 
manufactures,  which  thus  became  stimulated  into  an 
unprecedented  activity  that  kept  the  wheels  of  trade 
in  constant  motion. 

Cotton  and  woolen  factories  sprung  up  as  by 
magic,  as  if  every  water-fall  was  to  have  by  its  side 
the  busy  hum  of  machinery. 

None  felt  the   momentum  of  the   stimulated  con- 


50  HISTORY  OF  THE 

dition  of  affairs  more  than  the  New  York  Manufac- 
turing Company,  which  bent  every  energy  towards 
securing  and  supplying  the  demands  of  the  hour. 
The  return  of  peace,  in  1815,  relieved  the  intense 
pressure  of  a  feverish  inflation,  and  the  excess  was 
everywhere  diffused,  weakened,  and  enervated.  The 
bountifuluess  of  peace,  an  event  sought  for  and 
prayed  for,  brought  with  it  no  consolation  for  the 
New  York  Company,  but  rather  disappointments  and 
losses,  by  the  impairment  or  destruction  of  the 
channels  through  which  it  disposed  of  its  products. 
The  demand  for  its  manufactures  ceased  almost 
wholly,  —  there  was  no  market,  —  and  it  found  itself 
suddenly  with  a  large  stock  of  goods  on  hand  of  un- 
certain value,  and  expensive  machinery  standing  idle 
for  want  of  work. 

No  reaction  coming  to  favor  the  continuation  of 
the  business,  it  was  decided  to  dispose  of  the 
property,  which  was  accomplished  by  a  sale,  in  1818, 
to  Messrs.  Samuel  and  Timothy  Whittemore,  — 
brother  and  son  of  Amos  Whittemore.  Timothy 
almost  immediately  transferred  his  share  to  his 
uncle,  who  assumed  the  exclusive  ownership  of  the 
property  and  continued  the  business,  with  varying 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        51 

success,  till  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1835.  The 
New  York  Manufacturing  Co.,  after  selling  its 
property  in  1818,  dissolved  its  cooperate  title  and 
took  that  of  the  Phoenix  Bank,  and  has  pursued  the 
banking  business,  which  its  charter  authorized  it  to 
do,  to  the  present  day.  The  second  term  of  the 
patent  expired  in  1825,  and  the  invention  was  given 
to  the  world.  In  anticipation  of  this  event,  and  fear- 
ful of  the  effect  it  would  have  on  his  vocation,  Sam- 
uel Whittemore  sold  many  of  his  machines,  and  very 
considerably  reduced  the  limits  of  his  business. 

A  number  of  the  machines  that  were  used  in 
Samuel  Whittemore's  factory  were  bought  by 
Gershom  and  Henry  Whittemore,  sons  of  Amos 
Whittemore,  and  moved  to  West  Cambridge,  where 
a  factory  was  started  in  1827  for  the  manufacture 
of  cards,  and  which  was  kept  running  till  its  de- 
struction by  fire  in  1862. 

As  soon  as  the  expiration  of  the  patent  released 
the  monopoly  on  the  invention  orders  were  received 
from  England  and  France  for  some  of  the  machines  ; 
but  their  complication  was  so  imperfectly  understood 
by  the  foreign  mechanics  that  workmen  had  to 
be  sent  from  America  to  set  up  and  start  them. 


52  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Returning  once  more  to  Mr.  Amos  Whittemore  we 
find  that,  with  his  retirement  to  his  West  Cambridge 
estate  in  1812,  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  ease  of  life 
and  the  enjoyment  which  he  could  cull  from  scientific 
reading  and  reflection,  which  his  natural  inclinations 
led  him  to  seek.  Astronomical  inquiries  engaged 
much  of  his  time,  and  his  ingenuity  was  displayed 
in  this  line  of  study  by  the  construction  of  devices 
showing  the  principle  of  planetary  motions,  and 
he  conceived  a  plan  of  a  complete  orrery,  —  a  ma- 
chine that  was  in  high  repute  during  his  time,  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  18th  and  early  part  of  the 
19th  centuries,  but  which  is  now  regarded  with 
little  favor. 

In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  felt  the  discomforts  of 
impaired  health  and  the  infirmities  of  old  age.  He 
died  March  27,  1828,  at  his  homestead.  He  left  but 
a  small  fortune.  He  was  spoken  of  as  a  man  "  of 
a  bland  and  conciliating  disposition,  even  in  temper, 
strikingly  meditative  in  manners,  conversing  but 
little,  and  often  seen  in  profound  mental  study." 
Over  his  tomb  is  placed  a  marble  tablet  bearing  this 
inscription :  — 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        53 

Amos  Whittemore, 

born 
April  19,  1779, 

died 

March  27,  1828. 

Inventor  of  the  celebrated 

machine  for  making  cotton 

and  wool  cards  ;  a  marvelous 

conception  of  mechanical 

ingenuity,  which  gave  him 

a  prominent  place  among 

the  principal  inventors 

of  the  age. 
This  tablet  was  erected  by  his  descendants,  A.D.  1882. 


Desiring  to  give  our  subject  a  consistency  as  well 
as  continuity,  we  have  been  obliged  to  omit,  for  the 
time  being,  all  matter  not  directly  connected  with  the 
career  of  Amos  Whittemore,  whose  history  has  such 
a  vital  bearing  on  the  existence  and  success  of  the 
card-clothing  industry. 

To  return  to  earlier  days,  when  Whittemore's  in- 
vention was  first  generally  known,  but  not  generally 
used,  because  of  its  monopoly  by  the  inventor  and  his 
brothers,  the  methods  pursued  when  labor  was 'almost 


54  HISTORY  OF  THE 

purely  manual,  with  few  or  no  mechanical  devices  to 
aid  and  ease  the  toil,  called  into  requisition  the  handi- 
craft of  the  neighborhood  anywhere  within  a  radius 
of  twelve  miles.  The  wire  teeth  were  the  product  of 
the  factory,  but,  in  order  that  they  be  inserted  into 
the  leather,  they  were  distributed  in  bags  among  the 
households  of  the  vicinity,  and  thus  gave  employment 
to  women  and  children.  Every  house  became  a  part 
of  a  factory  system,  and  the  community  busy  in  some- 
thing which  all  could  do,  from  the  youngest  to  the 
oldest.  Women  and  girls  were  the  most  dexterous 
members  of  the  family  for  this  kind  of  work. 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        55 


CHAPTER  V. 

GROWTH  OF  THE  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY,  AND 
SKETCHES  OF  PARTIES  ENGAGED  IN  ITS  MANUFACT- 
URE. 

/ 

IN  1802  Mr.  Wintbrop  Earle,  an  active  young  man 
of  twenty-seven,  began  the  manufacture  of  machine- 
cards,  and  occupied  for  this  purpose  the  west  end  of 
Col.  Denny's  dwelling-house  in  Leicester,  Mass. 
He  soon  after  built  a  factory  apart  from  his  residence, 
and  became  extensively  engaged  in  his  business. 
His  early  death,  in  1807,  deprived  the  town  of  a 
most  respected  citizen.  His  business,  however,  did 
not  suffer  for  want  of  a  competent  successor,  as  it 
was  continued  by  John  "Woodcock,  a  young  and  in- 
genious mechanic  who  had  come  from  Rutland  two 
years  before.  "Woodcock's  inventive  tact  was 
manifested  in  many  little  devices  for  overcoming 
annoyances  that  afflicted  the  crude  processes  which 
were  in  fashion  at  that  time.  On  one  machine 
he  secured  a  patent  for  reducing  leather  used  in  the 
manufactnre  of  cards  to  a  uniform  thickness,  which 


56  HISTORY  OF  THE 

proved  to  be  of  much  benefit,  not  only  to  himself,  but 
to   the  manufacturing  community  in   general. 

In  1808  Mr.  Alpheus  Smith  associated  himself 
with  Mr.  Woodcock,  under  the  firm-name  of 
Woodcock  &  Smith.  Their  factory  building  was 
moved  near  the  hotel,  where  it  stood  for  many 
years.  In  1812  James  Smith,  from  Rutland, 
joined  the  firm  as  an  active  member.  Mr. 
Woodcock  disposed  of  his  interest  in  1813,  and 
his  death  is  chronicled  in  the  same  year,  having 
acquired  a  competency  which  he  left  to  a  family  of 
five  children.  In  1814  Alpheus  Smith  sold  his 
share  in  the  business  to  his  brothers,  John  A.  and 
Rufus,  and  the  style  of  the  concern  became  James  & 
John  A.  Smith  &  Co.  The  junior  member,  Rufus,  died 
in  1818,  and  the  business  was  carried  on  by  the  re- 
maining partners  till  1825,  when  John  Woodcock, 
son  of  the  foregoing  John  Woodcock,  Hiram  Knight 
and  Emorv  Drury  were  taken  in  as  partners.  Within 
the  following  eight  years  many  changes  took  place  in 
the  membership  of  the  firm.  Mr.  Drury  left  it  in 
1829,  John  A.  Smith  in  1830,  and  James  Smith  in 
1833,  leaving  the  business  in  the  hands  of  John 
Woodcock  and  Hiram  Knight,  who  continued  it  alone 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        57 

till  1848,  when  they  took  in  their  sons,  Theodore  E. 
and  Dexter.  The  firm  of  Woodcock,  Knight  &  Co. 
remained  in  existence  till  within  a  few  years. 

To  show  the  state  of  trade  in  card  clothing  in  the 
early  history  of  this  concern,  we  reproduce  a  letter 
that  was  written  by  it  to  a  customer  in  want  of  card 

clothing :  — 

LEICESTER,  June  27,  1812. 
MR.  E.  D.  WALCOTT:  — 

SIR, — Yours  of  the  18th  inst.  is  just  received,  in  which  you 
observe  you  are  in  want  of  five  or  six  sets  of  machine-cards 
for  the  Nassau  Cotton  and  Woollen  M.  Society,  and  wish  to 
know  our  terms.  Our  terms  are  cash  in  hand.  We  formerly 
gave  a  credit  of  three  or  six  months  upon  our  cards,  and  used 
to  have  the  same  credit  on  our  stock ;  but  now  our  stock  com- 
mands the  cash;  therefore  we  are  obliged  to  sell  our  cards 
for  ready  pay.  Card  wire  is  extremely  high  and  difficult  to  be 
obtained  at  any  price.  The  present  prices  of  cards  are  for 
those  made  of  No.  30  wire,  .$3.00;  No.  31  wire,  $3.20;  No. 
32  wire,  $3.40;  No.  33  wire,  $3.60  per  square  foot;  and  for 
filleting,  1J  in.  wide,  55  cents;  1&  in.,  75  cents;  and  2  in., 
$1.00  per  foot  in  length.  The  above  are  the  prices  that  we 
and  others  are  selling  cards  in  this  place.  We  will  engage 
the  cards  at  the  above  prices,  or  at  the  prices  that  others  may 
be  selling  at  in  this  place.  . 

Yours  respectfully, 

WOODCOCK,  SMITH  &  Co. 


58  HISTORY  OF  THE 

A  letter  addressed  to  this  firm,  March  17,  1813, 
quotes  the  price  of  card  wire  at  $1.50  per  pound 
for  Nos.  30,  31,  and  32  ;  but  as  it  was  subject  to 
daily  fluctuation,  the  quotation  was  guaranteed  only 
for  the  time  of  its  making.  The  war  with  England 
had  made  wire  a  very  scarce  commodity.  We  have 
mentioned  the  granting  of  letters-patent  to  Pliny 
Earle,  in  1803,  for  a  machine  for  pricking  twilled 
cards.  This  patent  Mr.  Earle  was  particular  in  de- 
fending for  his  exclusive  benefit,  and  infringers  were 
warned  of  their  infraction  as  soon  as  it  came  to  his 
knowledge.  It  appears  from  the  following  document 
that  Messrs.  Woodcock,  Smith  &  Co.  were  using  the 
patent  in  violation  of  Mr.  Earle's  rights,  which  drew 
from  him  a  most  emphatic  protest  and  a  demand 
for  indemnity :  — 

LEICESTER,  llth  Mo.,  18,  1813. 

To  John  Woodcock,  Alpheus  Smith  and  James  Smith,  each 
of  you  and  all  of  you:  I  hereby  in  the  most  peremptory 
terms  forbid  your  using  my  inventions  and  improvements  in 
making  regular  and  complete  twilled  or  nailed  cards,  which 
improvements  are  secured  to  me  by  law  in  the  Patent-Office 
of  the  United  States,  as  you  will  be  holden  to  answer  all  such 
violations  and  encroachments  at  your  peril,  agreeably  to  the 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        59 

laws  in  such  cases  made  and  provided.  And  I  do  hereby  re- 
quire you  forthwith  to  settle  with  me,  and  make  me  just  and 
honest  reparation  for  all  former  violations  and  encroachments 
on  my  said  improvements  and  inventions.  Now,  in  order  that 
you  may  not  deceive  yourselves  or  be  deceived,  I  have  left 
Fessenden's  Law  of  Patents  with  Bradford  Sumner,  at  Nath'l 
P.  Denny's  former  office,  where  you  may  call  and  be  informed 
if  you  wish.  I  have  been  at  the  expense  of  paying  an  attorney 
for  advice,  and  a  journey  from  Boston,  and  am  now  acting 

agreeably  to  his  directions. 

PLINY  EARLE. 

Upon  Alpheus  Smith's  withdrawal  from  his  partner- 
ship with  James  Smith,  in  1814,  he  established  a  card- 
factory  in  his  own  name,  and  carried  on  a  large  busi- 
ness till  1823,  when  he  disposed  of  it  to  his  brother 
Horace,  who  remained  in  it  till  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1828. 

When  Mr.  John  A.  Smith  dissolved  his  connection 
with  Mr.  James  Smith  and  others,  in  1830,  he  started 
a  similar  business  on  his  own  account,  which  he  con- 
tinued till  1844,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Samuel 
Southgate,  Jr.,  and  his  son,  John  S.  Smith,  who  con- 
ducted the  business  under  the  firm-name  of  Southgate 
&  Smith  till  January  1,  1859,  when  the  senior 
member  retired  and  his  interest  was  taken  by  Horace 


60  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Waite.  The  firm  of  Smith  &  Waite  lasted  till 
1867,  when  Mr.  Smith's  interest  was  bought  by  sons 
of  Mr.  Waite,  — E.  C.  and  L.  M.  Waite,  — and  the 
firm-name  changed  to  E.  C.  &  L.  M.  Waite  &  Co., 
the  father  giving  the  sons  the  benefit  of  the  name. 
This  remained  till  March  10,  1874,  when  the  present 
firm  was  formed  under  the  style  of  E.  C.  Waite 
&  Co. 

A  good-sized  business  was  done  by  Jonathan 
Earle  in  his  own  house  from  1804  to  1813.  He 
was  an  active  and  successful  manufacturer.  His 
residence  and  factory  was  situated  on  Mount 
Pleasant,  lying  about  a  mile  west  of  the  village 
meeting-house. 

In  1810  the  firm  of  Southgate  &  Sargent  com- 
menced business.  The  members,  Capt.  Isaac  South- 
gate  and  Col.  Henry  Sargent,  then  young  men, 
became  identified  with  the  progress  of  the  town  as 
successful  manufacturers,  and  their  names  have  been 
long  known  in  the  annals  of  Leicester.  Col.  Sargent 
remained  in  the  firm  but  two  years  when  he  formed  a 
new  concern,  and  in  1814  took  in  his  brother,  Joseph 
D.  Sargent,  as  a  partner.  The  latter  left  in  1819  and 
started  business  for  himself  in  the  manufacture  of 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        61 

"  hand  and  machine  cards,"  having  at  different  times 
as  partners,  Silas  Jones,  Nathan  Ainsworth  and 
William  Boggs.  March  1, 1836,  he  sold  his  machine- 
card  business  and  machinery  to  Joshua  Q.  Lamb  and 
Alonzo  White,  while  he  continued  the  hand-card 
business  till  his  death  in  1849.  Col.  Henry  Sargent 
remained  alone  after  the  withdrawal  of  his  brother  till 
1829,  the  year  of  his  death.  .Captain  Southgate  con- 
ducted his  manufacturing  without  a  partner  from 
1812  to  1826,  when  he  associated  with  him  Joshua 
Lamb,  Dwight  Bisco,  Joseph  A.  Denny  and  John 
Stone,  under  the  name  of  Isaac  Southgate  &  Co. 
Mr.  Stone  died  the  next  year.  In  1828  they  erected 
a  factory  in  the  rear  of  the  meeting-house.  In  1831 
Mr.  Lamb  left  the  firm,  and  Capt.  Southgate  did  the 
same  in  1843,  which  left  the  business  in  the  hands  of 
Messrs.  Bisco  &  Denny,  who,  in  1857,  took  in  their 
sons,  Charles  A.  Denny  and  George  Bisco.  Joseph 
A.  Denny  died  in  1875,  and  Dwight  Bisco  died  in 
1882.  John  W.  Bisco  was  admitted  to  the  firm  in 
1882.  Mr.  Dwight  Bisco  was  in  continuous  business 
for  fifty-six  years,  —  a  length  of  time  that  is  allowed 
to  but  few  men.  He  was  born  in  Spencer  in  1799,  and 
went  to  Leicester,  when  twenty-three  years  old,  "  with 


62  HISTORY  OF  THE 

a  strong  constitution,  a  few  articles  of  clothing  tied 
in  a  bundle,  and  a  silver  dollar  in  his  pocket,  which 
was  his  capital  for  beginning  his  business  career.  He 
at  once  engaged  himself  to  serve  an  apprenticeship 
and  learn  the  trade  of  the  card-clothing  business  with 
Cheney  Hatch,  and  continued  in  his  employ  until 
1826." 

Mr.  Cheney  Hatch  started  a  factory  in  1 823  and  ran 
it  till  1836,  when  he  sold  out  to  Alden  Bisco,  who 
parted  with  it  in  a  few  months  to  Henry  A.  Denny, 
an  elder  brother  of  Joseph  A.  Denny.  Mr.  Denny 
continued  the  business  till  1849,  when  he  took  in  his 
sous,  Joseph  W.  and  William  S.,  when  the  firm 
became  known  as  Henry  A.  Denny  &  Sons,  and  so 
continued  to  1854,  when  the  factory,  machinery  and 
business  was  sold  to  White  &  Denny.  Their  factory 
was  the  only  card-clothing  factory  in  town  at  that 
time  using  steam-power.  The  manufacturing  facili- 
ties of  White  &  Denny  were  thus  much  enlarged. 
This  firm  was  composed  of  Alonzo  White  and  Chris- 
topher C.  Denny,  the  latter  a  younger  brother  of 
Henry  A.  and  Joseph  A.  Denny,  who  had  formed  a 
partnership  for  the  manufacture  of  card  clothing 
July  1,  1846.  Mr.  White,  as  has  been  seen,  had  an 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        63 

earlier  beginning,  at  the  time  he  bought  with  J.  Q. 
Lamb,  in  1836,  the  business,  etc.,  from  J.  D.  Sargent. 
At  that  time  the  formation  of  the  firm  was  made 
under  the  style  of  Lamb  &  White,  with  Liberty  Lamb 
and  Joshua  Lamb  as  silent  partners.  The  two  latter 
gentlemen  dissolved  their  connection  at  the  termina- 
tion of  three  years,  otherwise  the  firm  remained  the 
same  till  July  1,  1846,  when  Mr.  Lamb  retired  to 
engage  in  business  by  himself,  which  he  did  till  his 
death  in  1850.  Mr.  White  continued  the  business 
with  C.  C.  Denny  as  a  partner.  Mr.  Denny  sold 
his  half  interest  in  1868  to  H.  Arthur  White,  when 
the  firm-name  was  changed  to  A.  White  &  Son,  under 
which  style  it  now  exists. 

Mr.  Josephus  Woodcock,  a  son  of  John  Woodcock, 
who  succeeded  Winthrop  Earle,  began  the  manufact- 
ure of  cards,  in  1828,  in  connection  with  Benjamin 
Conklin,  Jr.,  a  brother-in-law,  and  Austin  Couklin, 
under  the  name  of  Conklin,  Woodcock  &  Co.  Two 
years  after,  the  dissolution  of  the  firm  placed  the 
business  into  the  hands  of  Josephus  and  his  brother 
Lucius,  who  established  the  firm  of  J.  &  L.  Woodcock 
&  Co.,  which  continued  under  that  name  for  fifty-one 
years.  Danforth  Rice  was  in  the  firm  from  1831  tc 


64  HISTORY  OF  THE 

1836,  and  William  P.  White  from  1848  to  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1881.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  White 
the  constitution  of  the  partnership  was  materially 
changed,  C.  H.  Woodcock  taking  the  interest  of  his 
father,  Josephus,  and  Henry  Biscothe  interest  of  Mr. 
White.  The  firm  thereupon  became  known  as  L. 
Woodcock  &  Co.,  which  is  the  existing  style. 

Samuel  Southgate,  Jr.,  and  Joshua  Murdock,  under 
the  firm-name  of  Southgate  &  Murdock,  started  a 
new  business  in  1840,  but  after  three  years  Mr. 
Southgate  withdrew  to  become  associated  with  John 
S.  Smith,  as  previously  noticed.  Mr.  Murdock  re- 
mained alone  till  1847  when  he  was  joined  by  his 
brother  Joseph,  and  the  firm  of  J.  &  J.  Murdock 
established,  which  style  has  been  preserved  to  the 
present  time.  In  1857  John  N.  Murdock,  a  younger 
brother,  was  admitted  as  a  partner,  in  which  condition 
it  continued  till  March,  1882,  when  Joshua,  the  senior 
member,  died.  In  that  year  was  formed  the  existing 
constitution  of  the  firm,  viz.:  Joseph,  John  A.,  and 
Julius  O.  Murdock,  and  Alexander  De  Witt  —  who 
sold  out  his  interest  in  1883. 

Baylies  Upham  and  Samuel  Hurd  became  part- 
ners in  1825,  and  so  continued  till  1833,  when  Mr. 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         65 

Upham  took  the  business  to  himself  and  conducted 
it  to  1850,  when  Erving  Sprague  became  associated 
with  him.  The  latter  left  the  firm  in  1855,  and  the 
next  year  Mr.  Upham  disposed  of  his  business  to 
J.  &  J.  Murdock. 

In  the  year  1842  John  H.  and  William  Whitte- 
more  formed  a  partnership.  A  younger  brother, 
James,  was  admitted  in  1845.  In  1851  John  H. 
Whittemore  was  killed  on  the  cars  on  the  Western 
Railroad,  now  the  Boston  &  Albany.  The  style  of 
the  firm  was  changed  at  this  time  to  W.  &  J.  Whitte- 
more, which  is  the  same  to-day.  In  1874  W.  F. 
Whittemore,  son  of  James,  became  a  partner.  In 
1882  James  died. 

It  would  be  a  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  task  to 
give  a  record  of  all  those  who  have  engaged  in  the 
card-clothing  industry  in  the  town  of  Leicester.  In  ad- 
dition to  those  already  mentioned  we  notice  the  name 
of  Reuben  Meriam,  as  having  been  ten  years  in  busi- 
ness, from  1821,  with  George  W.  Morse  and  Henry 
A.  Denny  as  partners  at  different  times.  Harry 
Ward  carried  ona business  from  1810  to  1824.  Others 
can  be  named,  as :  Daniel  Denny,  Captain  William 
Sprague  &  Sons,  Barnard  Upham,  Roswell  Sprague, 


66  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Samuel  D.  Watson,  Aaron  Morse,  Guy  S.  Newton, 
Timothy  Earle,  Samuel  Southgate,  William  H.  Scott 
and  Henry  Earle. 

We  have  referred  to  Joseph  D.  Sargent  as  an 
active  manufacturer  of  card  clothing  in  Leicester. 
He  had  two  sons,  Joseph  B.  and  Edward,  who  be- 
came extensively  engaged  in  the  hand-card  business, 
which  proved  very  lucrative  during  the  war ;  and 
in  1866  they  organized  the  Sargent  Card  Clothing 
Co.,  and  built  a  factory  in  Worcester,  with  Edward 
Sargent  as  manager.  April  15,  1879,  the  factory  and 
business  was  sold  to  James  Smith  &  Co.,  of  Phila- 
delphia. Also  in  Worcester  is  the  large  establish- 
ment of  the  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company  that 
was  established  by  Pliny  Earle  in  1786,  and  before 
referred  to.  January  1,  1867,  C.  A.  Howard  and 
Clarence  Farnsworth  commenced  business  under  the 
firm-name  of  Howard  &  Farnsworth.  In  May,  1868, 
A.  H.  Howard  was  taken  into  the  concern,  and  in 
the  following  October  Mr.  Farnsworth  retired,  leaving 
the  two  brothers  together  under  the  firm-name  of 
Howai'd  Bros.,  who  conducted  the  business  till  1870, 
when  thev  took  in  their  brother,  J.  P.  Howard.  Chas. 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         67 

F.  Kent  commenced  the  making  of  Card  Clothing  in 
January,  1880. 

The  present  Stedman  &  Fuller  Manufacturing  Co., 
former!}'  of  Lawrence,  Mass.,  but  now  of  Provi- 
dence, R.I.,  is  a  recently  incorporated  company.  Its 
history,  as  a  continuous  concern,  may  be  said  to  have 
commenced  as  far  back  as  the  year  1847,  or  about 
that  time,  when  Smith,  Walker  &  Co.  came  to  Law- 
rence fromEnfield,  Mass.,  to  engage  in  the  manufact- 
ure of  card-clothing,  with  an  established  connection 
with  Jones,  Wood,  &  Co.,  of  Enfield,  —  one  of  the  old- 
est card-clothing  manufacturing  firms  in  the  country. 
They  were  succeeded  in  1850  by  Warren  and  Bryant ; 
and  this  firm  changed  its  partnership  in  1856,  by  the 
sale  of  Mr.  Oliver  Bryant's  interest  to  S.  M.  Stedman 
and  George  A.  Fuller,  —  two  employe's,  —  which  occa- 
sioned n  change  in  the  firm-name  to  Stedman  &  Fuller. 
In  1858  this  new  firm  purchased  the  machinery, 
fixtures  and  stock  of  the  Enfield  concern,  then  owned 
by  Rufus  D.  Woods,  and  moved  the  same  to  their 
Lawrence  factory.  No  change  was  again  effected  till 
August  1,  1883,  when  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  its  present  style  and  name. 

Davis  &  Furber  Machine  Co.,  of  North  Audover, 


68  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Mass.,  added  the  manufacture  of  card  clothing  to 
their  business  about  twenty  years  ago,  and  are  now 
engaged  in  it,  though  it  holds  a  subordinate  position 
to  their  other  work.  In  addition  to  the  concerns 
before  mentioned  are  the  following:  D.  F.  Robin- 
son, located  at  Lawrence,  Mass. ;  the  Lowell  Card 
Co.,  at  Lowell,  Mass.,  and  E.  P.  Stetson,  who  carries 
on  business  at  Walpole,  Mass. 

We  have  seen  that  Amos  Whittemore  visited  Eng- 
land in  1799  to  secure  to  himself  the  advantage  of 
his  invention  in  that  country  ;  but  his  efforts  proved 
of  no  avail,  and  the  first  patent  granted  in  that 
country  for  a  card-setting  machine  was  that  given  to 
J.  C.  Dyer,  of  Manchester.  Nothing,  however,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  done  with  this  invention  till  a  long 
time  after,  — about  1830,  —  when  Mr.  Dyer  visited 
the  United  States  and  obtained  a  machine,  and  com- 
menced business  in  Manchester,  on  a  very  extensive 
scale,  under  the  firm-name  of  J.  C.  Dyer  &  Co.  This 
firm  was  the  first  to  successfully  set  cards  mechan- 
ically. The  machine  used  was  probably  for  making 
the  clothing  in  sheets,  and  the  adaptations  for  the 
making  of  fillet  were  subsequently  applied,  as  we 
observe  that  Mr.  James  Walton,  of  Haughton  Dale 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         69 

Mills,  Dentou,  near  Manchester,  not  only  greatly  im- 
proved Mr.  Dyer's  machine,  but  constructed  the  fillet 
machine  that  has  remained  practically  the  same  to 
this  day,  or  for  a  period  of  over  forty  years.  One  of 
these  machines  was  on  exhibition  as  early  as  1838,  at 
a  fair  at  Lowerby  Bridge. 


70  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LATER   INVENTIONS    AND     IMPROVEMENTS    IN    THE    MANU- 
FACTURE   OF    CARD    CLOTHING.  VARIETIES    MADE. 

THE  mechanical  history  of  the  industry  is  repre- 
sented in  the  daily  operations  of  any  card-clothing 
factory  ;  it  is  a  thousand  times  repeated  in  the  course 
of  the  year,  and  the  many  devices  which  make  up  its 
parts  and  exhibit  its  condition  have  been,  in  essential 
features,  familiar  to  the  workman  for  a  generation  or 
more.  Everything  connected  with  the  manufacture 
of  card  clothing  bears  the  imprint  of  intelligence  in 
the  careful  and  exact  manipulation  of  the  materials 
that  go  into  the  final  product.  The  machines  that 
insert  the  teeth  impress  the  observer  with  being  in 
the  presence  of  an  inanimate  object  possessing 
a  conscientious  sense  of  duty.  The  empk>3*£s  that 
are  to  be  met  with  in  every  department  carry  with 
them  the  character  of  thoughtful  intelligence  upon 
which  society  can  safely  depend  for  its  moral  sup- 
port. 

The  first  step  in  the  manufacture  of  card  clothing 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         71 

is  the  selection  of  the  material  for  the  foundation 
or  backing  into  which  the  teeth  are  to  be  inserted. 
The  selection  is  influenced  by  the  purpose  for  which 
the  clothing  is  to  be  used,  the  stock  that  it  is  to  card, 
and  its  relative  cost.  Leather  is  most  universally 
used,  and  has  been  employed  from  the  earliest  be- 
ginning. For  some  purposes  its  advantages  are 
superseded  by  other  materials  that  have  been  con- 
structed of  cloth  and  rubber,  though  the  prime  con- 
sideration for  substitution  was  occasioned  by  the 
matter  of  less  cost.  The  kiiids  of  leather  that  are 
used  are  the  hemlock  and  oak  tanned.  The  first 
is  more  generally  employed,  as  it  possesses  more 
pliability  and  greater  compactness,  aside  from  mak- 
ing a  smoother  and  better  appearing  piece  of  work. 

Those  unacquainted  with  the  requirements  for 
which  leather  is  intended  have  but  a  slight  apprecia- 
tion of  the  discrimination  that  must  be  exercised  in 
its  selection,  so  that  it  may  be  alike  in  texture  and 
other  essential  features.  This  difficulty  is  greatly  in- 
creased when  assortments  have  to  be  made  from  prod- 
ucts of  different  tanneries. 

Cloth  backings  vary  in  composition,  and  a  major- 
ity of  them  have  rubber  in  combination.  The  value 


72  HISTORY  OF  THE 

of  solid  cotton  doth  is  in  its  comparative  cheapness,  and 
it  is  exclusively  applied  to  the  cotton  card.  Its 
adaptation  to  other  stock  has  been  found  insufficient 
and  defective.  All  cloth  backings  have  the  matter 
of  uniformity  of  thickness  in  their  favor,  which  is  a 
very  valuable  feature. 

The  rubber-cloth  backings  may  be  confined  to  those 
covered  or  having  a  facing  on  one  side  of  either 
natural  or  vulcanized  rubber.  The  body  of  this  kind 
of  clothing  is  made  of  several  layers  of  cotton  cloth, 
though  in  some  cases  linen  is  substituted.  Its  chief 
recommendations  are  its  superior  elasticity  and  the 
support  which  it  gives  to  the  teeth.  It  also  pos- 
sesses the  elements  of  cheapness,  strength  and 
durabilit}-,  which  stand  in  more  than  favorable  com- 
parison. The  employment  of  india-rubber  in  the 
manufacture  of  card  clothing  is  not  of  recent  inven- 
tion, though  it  is  only  of  late  years  that  American 
mills  have  given  it  extensive  use. 

Natural  rubber  is  successfully  used  only  for  the 
making  of  card  clothing  for  carding  cotton.  Being 
quickly  affected  by  changes  in  temperature, — harden- 
ing in  a  cold  atmosphere,  softening  in  a  warm  room, — 
and  liable  at  any  time  to  be  ruined  by  oil  carelessly 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         73 

dropped  on  it  by  some  workman,  or  from  overhanging 
shafting,  it  cannot  be  relied  on  for  uniform  work, 
and  is  being  rapidly  displaced  by  cloth  cards,  and  by 
the  vulcanized  rubber  faced  card  clothing,  which  re- 
tains all  the  elasticity  and  other  advantages  of  the 
natural  rubber  with  none  of  its  disadvantages. 

Its  advantages  over  leather  are  its  cheapness  and 
durability,  and  it  is  regarded  by  many  as  superior  in 
its  working  qualities.  The  use  of  this  kind  of  artifi- 
cial material  has  another  valuable  feature  in  the  firm 
and  elastic  support  it  gives  to  the  wire  teeth.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  holes  in  leather  have  to  be  made 
larger  than  the  wire  to  allow  for  the  insertion  of  the 
teeth,  and,  as  the  holes  close  up  only  partially,  the 
teeth  are  left  unsupported  and  with  a  considerable 
freedom  of  plaj-.  With  an  India-rubber  and  cloth 
foundation,  the  holes  will  contract  about  the  teeth, 
permitting  them  to  depend  on  the  material  for  sup- 
port and  elasticity,  thus  securing  an  important  aid 
towards  durability.  The  strength  of  the  clothing 
lies  in  the  cloth,  which  is  especially  effective  if  con- 
structed partly  of  linen,  and  "  it  would  be  very 
rough  usage  indeed  in  clothing  cylinders  with  fillets 
which  would  cause  its  breakage." 


74  HISTORY  OF  THE 

Vulcanized  rubber  card  clothing  is  used  for  all 
varieties  of  carding.  It  is  made  with  several  layers 
of  cotton  cloth,  or  cotton  and  linen  cloths  combined, 
covered  by  a  thin  layer  of  vulcanized  rubber,  spread 
on  as  paste,  instead  of  natural  rubber. 

Vulcanized  rubber  faced  cloth  of  the  best  quality 
is  now  taking  the  place  of  leather  almost  entirely 
for  foundation  or  backing  for  card  clothing  for 
carding  worsted  wools,  which  are  worked  with  a 
large  amount  of  water  and  oil,  where  leather  soon 
hardens,  and  the  splices  or  laps  in  the  filleting, 
no  matter  how  well  cemented  and  sewed,  soon  give 
way.  There  being  no  laps  in  rubber  filleting  there 
are  no  damages  to  clothing  caused  by  the  break- 
ing of  a  piece  of  filleting  which  has  come  apart 
in  a  lap. 

Over  twenty  years  ago  Horsfall,  of  England, 
invented  a  cloth  for  a  backing  for  card  clothing,  which 
is  still  one  of  the  best  in  use.  It  is  made  of  a  woolen 
cloth  woven  with  a  linen  warp  and  covered  on  one  or 
both  sides  with  cotton  cloth.  The  cotton  cloth  is 
cemented  to  the  woolen  by  an  oil  cement  which  is  un- 
affected by  oil  or  temperature.  The  T.  K.  Earle 
Manufacturing  Company  has  successfully  made  it  for 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  ISDIf&TRY*         75 

thirteen  years  and  recommend  it  for  all  carding 
where  there  is  no  moisture. 

There  are  other  constructions  of  clothing,  but  the 
foregoing  are  in  most  general  use.  Some  forms  have 
cotton  cloth  with  rubber  filling  instead  of  rubber  fac- 
ing. 

The  wire  that  is  now  in  greatest  popularity  is 
hardened  and  tempered  steel,  which  will  shortly  be 
so  universally  used  that  the  common  iron  wire  will 
scarcely  be  known.  Most  of  the  wire  that  is  put 
into  clothing  is  of  English  importation,  and  some 
of  the  largest  manufacturers  have  foreign  corre- 
spondents, through  whom  they  obtain  a  regular  sup- 
ply. Tempered  steel  wire  is  made  to  some  extent 
in  this  country,  and  considerable  improvements  have 
been  made  within  the  last  six  or  eight  months ; 
but  up  to  this  date  general  preference  favors  the 
English  production.  The  cost  of  clothing  with 
tempered  steel  wire  teeth  exceeds  that  with  the 
common  round  iron  wire  about  75  per  cent. ;  but  to 
make  amends  for  this  great  disparity  in  price,  the 
steel  wire  more  than  offsets  it  in  durability,  in  elas- 
ticity, in  allowing  a  better  and  more  lasting  point, 
permitting  harder  usage  and  requiring  less  repairs. 


76  HISTORY  OF  THE 

The  hardness  of  the  wire  is  one  of  the  important 
points  which  should  receive  the  careful  attention  of 
the  consumer.  It  is  more  difficult  to  make  a  nice- 
looking  card  of  the  hard  than  of  the  soft-tempered 
wire.  The  hard-tempered  wire  is  far  more  durable, 
and  requires  less  frequent  grinding  than  the  mild  or 
soft-tempered  wire. 

The  chief  property  of  steel,  and  upon  which  it  is 
particularly  valued,  is  what  is  known  as  its  tempera- 
bility.  By  heating  and  cooling  it  in  different  degrees 
and  at  different  rates  of  rapidity,  almost  any  degree 
of  hardness  or  softness  may  be  obtained.  The  process 
of  tempering  steel  wire  for  card-clothing  purposes  has 
not  been  successfully  attempted  in  this  country  un- 
til recently.  It  may  be  generally  understood  by 
saying  that  the  wire  is  drawn  through  molten  lead, 
and  hardened  by  being  immersed  in  oil,  and  again 
passed  through  molten  lead,  at  a  lower  temperature 
than  the  first,  to  give  it  the  proper  temper. 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        77 


CHAPTER  VH. 

DESCRIPTION    OF     VARIOUS     PROCESSES     IN    THE    MANU- 
FACTURE     OF      CARD    CLOTHING. PRESERVATION       OF 

THE    FIRST    CARD-SETTING     MACHINES. 

THERE  are  several  kinds  of  wire  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  card  clothing,  which  are  made  of  either 
iron,  steel  or  brass.  The  forms  are  either  round  or 
angular,  the  latter  being  cut  with  a  diamond  point. 
The  round  form  is  that  most  commonly  met  with, 
and  is  employed  for  all  ordinary  clothing,  in  both 
sheets  and  filleting.  The  angular  form  is  generally 
given  to  such  wire  as  is  intended  to  perform  heavy 
work,  and  is  particularly  adapted  to  covering  feed- 
rolls,  lickers-in,  tumblers  and  cylinders  of  carding 
machines  designed  for  carding  shodcly  and  similar 
•waste.  The  diamond  point,  which  is  given  to  the 
angular  wire,  is  destroyed  by  any  attempt  at  grind- 
ing, therefore  when  it  has  been  worn  off  by  use,  the 
clothing  is  beyond  redemption  and  should  be  replaced 
by  new.  It  is  in  its  best  condition  when  it  first 
comes  from  the  maker's  hands.  Round  wire  is  in  an 


78  HISTORY  OF  THE 

imperfect  condition  as  it  comes  from  the  maker's 
hands  and  has  to  be  ground  with  emery  before  it  can 
perform  its  duty.  The  brass  wire  has  its  sphere  of 
usefulness  in  places  where  dampness  exists,  and  only 
in  such  places  is  it  employed,  as  on  cloth-drying 
machines,  etc.  Tin-plated  wire  is  also  used  in  moist 
places,  especially  for  worsted  carding. 

The  processes  through  which  leather  is  made  to  pass 
in  order  to  fit  it  for  conversion  into  card  clothing,  are 
simple  in  their  parts,  but  require  much  care,  exact- 
ness, and  discriminating  judgment.  The  proper  selec- 
tion of  leather  is  an  important  item  in  the  successful 
conduct  of  a  factory,  and  no  inferior  talent  can  be 
prudently  allowed  in  this  first  step  towards  manu- 
facture. The  leather  that  is  suitable  for  card  cloth- 
ing is  taken  from  the  back  and  side  of  the  hide.  The 
best  portion,  that  through  the  center  of  the  side,  is 
chosen  for  the  sheets,  the  next  in  quality  for  filleting, 
and  that  along  the  back  is  used  for  coarse  and  heavy 
wire,  such  as  the  angular  wire,  etc.  As  none  but 
clean  stock  can  be  employed,  it  will  be  readily  appre- 
ciated that  there  must  be  a  considerable  amount  of 
•waste  made,  which  increases  relatively  the  cost  of 
the  stock  that  is  selected.  One-quarter  to  one-half 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.       79 

of  the  hide  is  thus  rejected  as  waste,  so  to  speak,  and 
sold  as  remnants,  at  a  low  valuation,  say  from  one- 
third  to  one-half  of  the  cost. 

The  operations  connected  with  the  progress  of 
manufacture  of  sheets  and  filleting  are  similar,  vary- 
ing in  certain  particulars  according  to  the  nature  of 
their  design.  The  hides,  having  been  cut  up  into 
proper  forms,  are  put  into  water  to  soak  till  the}-  be- 
come soft  and  pliable.  The  various  strips  of  leather 
are  then  put  through  a  splitting  machine  to  bring  them 
to  a  uniform  thickness.  A  second  wetting  process  is 
then  gone  through  with,  followed  by  an  operation  of 
stretching  by  rubbing,  laterally  for  sheets  and  length- 
wise for  filleting.  The  leather  is  now  subjected  to 
treatment  with  a  mixt  ire  of  neat's-foot  oil  and  tallow, 
technically  called  stuffing,  because  the  pores  are 
thoroughly  filled  with  the  grease.  In  this  condition 
it  is  hung  up  to  dry,  and  when  this  is  accomplished 
the  sheets  have  their  edges  trimmed  and  straightened, 
and  the  fillets  are  trimmed  to  a  certain  uniform  width. 
The  sheets  are  now  dry-stretched  laterally  on  a 
machine,  then  limbered  on  what  is  termed  a  gridiron, 
and  thus  made  ready  to  receive  the  teeth.  The  fillets, 
after  trimming,  are  matched,  that  is,  the  ends  of  the 


80  HISTORY  OF  THE 

strips  are  bevelled  off  at  a  very  acute  angle,  and  then 
lapped  and  glued  together  into  one  long  continuous 
piece.  Before  uniting  the  short  strips,  they  are  care- 
fully sorted  and  classified  according  to  flexibility  and 
condition,  and  those  of  a  kind  are  put  together.  The 
long  pieces  are  put  up  into  rolls  from  300  to  400  feet 
in  length.  After  gluing,  the  filleting  is  for  a  second 
time  passed  dry  through  a  shaving  machine,  to  equal- 
ize thickness,  and  it  is  then  trimmed  to  width  and 
finished  ready  for  the  teeth. 

There  are  very  few  who  engage  in  the  manufacture 
of  card-setting  machines,  and  none  who  make  it  a 
special  business  to  the  exclusion  of  others.  The  ma- 
chines that  are  made  come  from  the  shops  of  the 
large  card-clothing  manufacturers,  who  supply  not 
only  their  own  wants  but  those  of  the  smaller  estab- 
lishments. This  is  explainable  from  the  fact  that  a 
machine  has  a  long  life,  and  a  factory  once  supplied 
has  no  occasion  to  make  further  purchase  in  the  way 
of  renewals,  and  the  only  bill  of  expense  is  that  which 
arises  from  necessary  repairs.  Little  account  is  taken 
of  improved  machinery  any  further  than  certain  ac- 
cessories which  can  be  adjusted  to  most  every  kind 
of  machine.  Fundamentally  there  has  been  but 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.        81 

little  improvement  for  a  great  many  vears,  and  ma- 
chines that  are  from  thirty  to  forty  years  old  are  in 
successful  operation  to-day,  favorably  competing  with 
those  of  more  modern  construction.  We  do  not 
mean,  however,  to  be  understood  that  there  has  been 
no  progress  made  ;  but  the  advance  has  not  been  so 
material  as  to  incapacitate  machines  made  twenty-five 
years  ago  from  doing  good  work  in  competition  with 
those  of  recent  make. 

While  we  are  at  this  point  of  our  subject  it  may  be 
fitting  to  dwell  upon  a  little  episodical  history  con- 
nected with  the  manufacture  of  card  machines.  We 
wish  to  state  the  obligation  we  owe  to  Mr.  Thomas 
A.  Dickinson,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  for  the  great  as- 
sistance he  has  rendered  in  furnishing  us  with  the 
larger  portion  of  the  material  from  which  the  follow- 
ing is  composed.  We  desire  to  furthermore  acknowl- 
edge the  willing  aid  we  have  received  from  this 
gentleman  in  other  portions  of  tins  series.  There  is 
a  card-tooth  machine  now  in  the  possession  of  a 
Worcester  party,  manufactured  by  Joshua  Lamb,  of 
Leicester,  about  sixty  years  ago.  It  is  in  excellent 
running  order,  and  capable  of  making  from  500  to 
600  teeth  per  minute.  It  was  made  by  Mr.  Lamb  as 


82  HISTORY  OF  THE 

an  improvement  on  his  upright  arbor  machine,  which  he 
patented  in  1819,  and  which  is  now  in  the  Museum 
of  the  Worcester  Society  of  Antiquity,  where  also 
may  be  seen  a  circular  card -tooth  machine,  that  was 
made  about  1810,  but  by  whom  we  have  been  unable 
to  find  out.  In  the  same  place  may  be  found  a  card- 
tooth  machine  made  by  Eleazer  Smith  about  the  year 
1814,  and  which,  it  is  thought,  was  made  for  Pliny 
Earle  of  Leicester.  In  addition  to  the  above 
machines  Joshua  Lamb  obtained  letters-patent  on  a 
card-setting  machine  in  1827.  Reuben  Merriam  of 
Leicester,  secured  letters-patent  on  a  card- filleting,  or 
cub,  prick,  and  set  machine  in  1831. 

It  would  seem  unjust  if  no  mention  was  made 
of  some  other  prominent  mechanics  and  inventors 
who  have  made  valuable  improvements  in  card- 
setting  machines.  There  are  no  doubt  many  names 
that  could  be  added  to  the  list,  but  we  have 
been  able  to  come  into  possession  only  of  the 
following :  Joseph  Elliott,  who  lived  in  Leicester  in 
1828,  was  one  of  the  first  to  make  decided  improve- 
ments in  the  card  machine.  He  afterward  removed 
to  Enfield,  Mass.,  and  made  machines  for  Jones, 
Woods  &  Co. ,  of  whom  we  have  spoken  heretofore. 


AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY.         83 

The  Porter  Brothers  were  ingenious  mechanics  of 
Springfield,  Vt.,  who  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
cards  about  the  year  1830,  with  machinery  of  their  own 
invention.  They  were  the  first  to  put  stop-motions 
on  the  machine,  and  the  same  stop  is  now  in  use  in 
some  of  the  factories  in  Worcester.  Rufus  Sargent 
started  the  card-setting  business  in  Auburn,  N.Y., 
and  many  of  his  machines  were  of  his  own  design 
and  manufacture.  He  was  the  first  to  apply  the 
jointed  die  stop,  hung  on  centres.  A  Mr.  Coates  of 
Springfield,  Mass.,  made  the  first  machine  for  making 
endless  doffer-rings,  in  1852  or  1853.  He  took  out 
letters  patent  for  it  in  1854.  William  B.  Earle,  now 
living  at  the  age  of  eighty-five,  commenced  building 
card  machines  in  1828.  In  1837  he  received  a  silver 
medal  from  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic 
Association  for  a  card-sticking  machine.  Some  of 
the  machines  in  use  by  the  T.  K.  Earle  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  Worcester,  were  made  by  him.  Great 
credit  is  due  to  the  names  of  Addison  Arnold,  Na- 
than Ainsworth,  David  McFarland,  Austin  Conklin, 
Augustus  B.  Prouty,  David  O.  Woodman,  Charles 
Ballard  and  Oliver  Arnold,  for  the  progress  which 
has  been  made  in  the  card-clothing  industry. 


APPENDIX. 


1738.  —  John   Wyatt's   patent   on    Cotton-Spinning 
Machine. 

1743. — John  Kaye  invented  Fly  Shuttle. 

1748.  —  Lewis  Paul  patented  Cylinder  Card  for  card- 
ing cotton. 

1754.  — Eleazer  Smith  born  in  Medford,  Mass. 

1759. — Amos    Whittemore    born    in    Cambridge, 
Mass.,  April  19. 

1762.  —  Dec.  17.     Pliny  Earle  born  in  Leicester. 

177°*  —  Sir  Richard  Arkwright's  improvements  on 
Paul's  Card. 

1775.  —  Above  improvements  patented. 
Winthrop  Earle  born. 

1778.  —  Oliver  Evans'    Machine  for   making    Card 
Teeth  introduced. 

1780.  —  Eleazer  Smith  first  thinks  of  complete  Card- 
Setting  Machine. 

1784.  —  Chittenden's  invention  on  Card  Machine. 


86       AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 

1785.  —  Edmund    Snow   of    Leicester    commenced 

making    Hand    Cards. 

1786.  —  Pliny  Earle  commenced  business,  thus  estab- 

lishing Card-Clothing  industry  now  car- 
ried on  by  the  T.  K.  Earle  M'fg  Company, 
of  Worcester,  Mass. 

1788. — Evans' invention  applied  to  Card  Machine 
by  Giles  Richards. 

1789.  —  President  George  Washington's  visit  to  the 
Card-Clothing  factory  of  Giles  Richards  & 
Co.  in  Boston  (Eleazer  Smith,  sup't). 
Duty  on  Hand  Cards  50  cents  per  dozen. 
Samuel  Slater  left  England  for  the  United 
States. 

170,0.  —  Pliny  Earle  the  first  in  the  United  States  to 
make  Machine-Card  Clothing. 

1791. — Firm  of  Pliny  Earle  &  Brothers  formed. 

1792.  — Eli  Whitney  invented  Saw  Cotton  Gin. 

1794. — Mark  Richards  manufactures  Card  Clothing 
near  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston. 

1797.  — Patent  granted  Amos  Whittemore  for  Card 
Machine. 

1800.  — William  B.  Earle  born. 

1802. — Winthrop  Earle  began  the   manufacture  of 
Machine-Card  Clothing  in  Leicester. 


APPENDIX.  87 

1803.  —  Samuel    Whittemore     manufactures     Card 

Clothing  in  New  York  City. 
Dec.  6.     Patent  granted  to  Pliny  Earle  on 

machine  for  Pricking  Twilled  Cards. 
1804. — Jonathan  Earle  started  in  business  this  year 

and  continued  until  1813. 
1807. — Winthrop  Earle  died. 
1808.  —  Firm  of  Woodcock  &  Smith  formed. 
1809. — March  3.     Renewal  of   patent   granted   to 

Amos  and  William  Whittemore,  Jr. 
1810.  —  Southgate  &    Sargent  commence  business. 
Harry  Ward   in  business  from  this  year  to 

1824. 
1812. — June    27.     Prices    of   Card   Clothing;     see 

Page  55- 

July  20.  Amos  and  William  Whittemore, 
Jr.'s,  patent  leased  to  the  New  York  Manu- 
facturing Co. 

Eleazer  Smith  built  Card  Machine  for  Pliny 
Earle  and  Brothers. 

Duty  on  Hand-Cards  $1.00  per  dozen. 
1813. — March  17.     Prices  Card  Wire  ;  see  page  56. 
1814. — Henry  and  Joseph  D.  Sargent  in  partner- 
ship. 


88        AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 

Alpheus  Smith  started  Card  Factory  in  own 
name  and  then  sold  to  James  and  John  A. 
Smith  &  Co. 

1815.  —  Silas  Earle  commenced  business. 

iSiS.  —  The  New  York  Manufacturing  Co.'s  ma- 
chinery, etc.,  sold  to  Samuel  and  Timothy 
Whittemore,  brother  and  son  of  Amos. 

1819. — Joseph  D.  Sargent  started  business  in  own 
name. 

1823.  —  Timothy  Keese  Earle  born  February  1 1 . 

1825. — John   Woodcock,    Jr.,  Hiram   Knight    and 
Emory  Drury  partners   in   firm  of  James 
and  John  A.  Smith  &  Co. 
Baylies  Upham    and  Samuel  Hurd    manu- 
facture Card  Clothing  from  1825  to  1833. 

1826. — Firm  of  Isaac  Southgate  &  Co.  commence 
business  with  Joshua  Lamb,  Dwight  Bisco, 
Joseph  A.  Denny,  John  Stone  and  Isaac 
Southgate. 

1827.  —  Gershom  and  Henry  Whittemore,  sons  of 
Amos,  start  Card  Factory  at  West  Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 

John  Stone,  one  of  firm  of  Isaac  South- 
gate  &  Co.,  died. 


APPENDIX.  89 

1828.  — William  B.  Earle  commenced  building  Card 
Machines. 

March  27.     Amos  Whittemore  died. 

Josephus  Woodcock,  Benjamin  Conklin,Jr. 
and  Austin  Conkling  began  manufact- 
uring Cards. 

Factory  erected  by  Isaac  Southgate  &  Co. 

1832.  —  Pliny  Earle  died. 

1833.  —  Baylies  Upham  bought  out   Samuel    Kurd's 

interest  in  firm  of  Upham  &  Hurd. 
1836.  —  March  i.     Joseph  D.  Sargent  sold  Machine 

Card   business    to    Joshua   Q.   Lamb  and 

Alonzo  White. 

Eleazer  Smith  died  March  9,  aged  82  years. 
Cheney  Hatch  sold  out  to  Alden  Bisco,  who 

sold  out  in  a  few  months  to  H.  A.  Denny. 
1837. — William    B.    Earle    received    silver    medal 

from  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic 

Association  for  Card-Sticking  Machine. 
1839.  —  Timothy  K.  Earle  commenced  Card  business. 
1842.  —  Timothy   K.    Earle    moved    Carcl-Clothing 

business  from  Leicester  to  Worcester  and 

associated  his  brother  Edward  with  him ; 

firm  name  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co*, 


90        AM  FBI  CAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 

j843. — Medal  awarded  to  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  by 
American  Institute. 

1844. — John  A.  Smith  succeeded  by  Smith  & 
Southgate. 

1845.  — James  Whittemore  admitted  to  firm  of  John 
H.  &  Wm.  Whittemore. 

1846.— Medal  awarded  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  by 
American  Institute. 

1847. — Joshua  Murdock  joined  by  his  brother  Jo- 
seph ;  firm-name  J.  &  J.  Murdock. 

1848.  —  Firm  of  Woodcock,  Knight  &  Co.  formed. 

William  P.  White  with    firm  of  J.    &    L. 
Woodcock  &  Co. 

1849.  —  Henry  A.  Denny  &  Sons  started. 

1850.  —  Smith,  Walker  &  Co.  succeeded  by  Warren 

&  Bryant. 

Erving    Sprague    associated    with    Baylies 
Upham  to  1855. 

1851.  —  Medal  awarded  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  at  Crystal 

Palace,  England,  for  excellence  of  goods. 

Medal  awarded  to  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  by 

Worcester  County  Mechanics'  Association. 

1852. — This    year  or   1853  the  first  machine   was 

built  for   making  Endless    DofFer    Rings. 


APPENDIX.  91 

1853.  — Medal  awarded  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  by  Mas- 

sachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic   Associa- 
tion. 

1854.  — H.  A.  Denny  &  Sons  sold  business  to  White 

,    &  Denny. 

Contes'     Endless     DofFer     Ring     machine 
patented. 

1856.  —  Oliver  Bryant  sold  out  to  Stedman  &  Fuller. 

1857.  —  T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  built  present  factory  in 

Worcester,  Mass. 

1862.  —  Card  factory  of  Gershotn  &  Henry  Whitte- 
more  at  West  Cambridge,  Mass.,  burned 
down. 
1867.  —  Firm  of  Howard  &  Farnsworth  started. 

E.  C.  &    L.  M.  Waite   buy   out  John    S. 

Smith. 
1868. — A,  H.  Howard  admitted  to  firm  of  Howard 

&  Farnsworth  in  May. 
C.  Farnsworth  retired  in  October. 
White  &  Denny  changed  to  A.  White  &  Son. 

1869.  — Edward  Earle  retires  from  business. 

1870.  —  J.  P.  Howard  admitted  to  firm  of  Howard 

Brothers. 

1871 .  —  Thomas  Earle  died. 


92        AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 

1872.  —  Edwin    Brown   admitted  to  firm  of  T.  K. 

Earle  &  Co. 

1873.  — T.  K.  Earle  &  Co.  commenced  the  manu- 

facture of  Woolen  Card  Cloths. 
1875.  — Joseph  A.  Denny  died. 
1877.  —  Edward  Earle  died  May  19. 

1879.  —  Sargent  Card-Clothing  Co.  sold  out. 

1880.  —  T.     K.     Earle     Manufacturing     Company 

formed  January  ist,  with  T.  K.  Earle, 
President,  and  Edwin  Brown,  Agent  and 
Treasurer. 

1881.  —  T.  K.  Earle  died  October  ist,  aged  58  years. 

First  Hardened  and  Tempered  Cast  Steel 
Wire  for  Card  Clothing  imported  from 
James  Royston,  Son,  &  Co.,  Halifax, 
England,  and  used  by  T.  K.  Earle 
Manufacturing  Company. 

William  P.  White  died. 

L.  Woodcock  &  Co.  formed. 

1882.  — Tablet  erected  to  memory  of  Amos  Whitte- 

more. 

Joshua  Murdock  died  in  March. 
James  Whittemore  died. 
D wight  Bisco  died. 


APPENDIX.  93 

1883.  —  Factory  for  making  Card  Cloths  erected  by 
the  T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company. 
Alex.  DeWitt  sold  out  interest  in  firm  of 
J.  &  J.  Murdock. 

1884. — Additions  made  to  T.  K.  Earle  Manufact- 
uring Company's  Cloth  Factory. 

1886.  — Centennial  Anniversary  of  establishment  of 
T.  K.  Earle  Manufacturing  Company's 
Card-Clothing  business. 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Anthony,  Daniel 12 

Appendix 85 

Arkwri^ht,  Sir  Richard 10 

Arnold,  Addison 21 

Arnold,  Oliver 21 

Bisco  &  Denny gi 

Brown,  Edwin 20 

Card  Cloth 22 

Vulcanized  Rubber .  22 

Card  Clothing  —  Its  Early  History  and  Inventions    .  7 

Varieties  made 70 

Various  Processes  in  its  Manufacture 

Chittenclen,  Mr 15 

Chronological  Table 85 

Conklin,  Woodcock  &  Co 63 

Denny,  Col.  Thomas,  Jr 30 

Denny,  Henry  A.,  &  Sons  ........  62 

Denny,  Joseph  A 61 

Drury,  Emory 56 

Earle,  Edward ^20 

Earle,  Henry 19 

Earle,  Jonathan 19  60 

Earle,  Pliny 17,  18,  19,  58,  59 

Earle,  Pliny,  &  Bros.  . 19  32 

Earle,  Ruth '  19 

Earle,  Silas 19 

Earle,  Timothy  Keese 19  20 

Earle,  T.  K.,  MTg  Companv     .        .        .19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  66,  83 

Earle,  Thomas 20 

Eyrie,  William  B 83 

Earle,  Winthrop 55,  63 

Elliott,  Joseph 82 

Evans,  Oliver 12,  15,  37 

Hale,  Jonathan 27 

Hatch,  Cheney 62 

Howard  &  Farnsworth        ...  66 


96       AMERICAN  CARD-CLOTHING  INDUSTRY. 

PAGE 

Jones,  Woods  <fe  Co 82 

Kaye,  John 9 

Knight,  Hiram 56 

Lamb,  Joshua  Q 61 

Lamb  &  White 63 

Murdock,  J.  &  J 65 

New  York  M'f  g  Company 47,  48,  49,  :>1 

Niles,  Nathaniel 12 

Paul,  Lewis 9,  10,  24 

Porter  Bros 83 

Richards,  Giles 13,  14.  15 

Richards,  Mark 14 

Sargent  Card-Clothing  Company 66 

Sargent,  Joseph  D.  60 

Slater,  Samuel 16-19 

Smith,  Alpheus 56,  59 

Smith,  Eleazer 24-36 

Smith,  James 56,  59 

Smith,  John  A.,  &  Co r>6,  59 

Smith  &  Waite 60 

Snow,  Edmond 16 

Southgate  &  Murdock 64 

Southgate  &  Sargent 60 

Southgate  &  Smith 59 

Stone,  John 61 

Waite,  E.  C.  &  L.  M 60 

White,  A.,  &  Son         .  63 

White,  Alonzo 61 

White  &  Denny 62 

Whittemore,  Amos 31,32,37-54 

Whittemore,  Gershom 51 

Whittemore,  Henry •      ...        51 

Whittemore,  Samuel 46,  50,  51 

Whittemore,  Timothy.        .  , 50 

Whittemore,  William 14,  29,  30 

Whittemore,  W.&J 65 

Wilkinson,  Jeremiah 12,  27 

Woodcock,  John 55,  56 

Woodcock,  J.  &  L 63 

Woodcock,  Knight  &  Co 57 

Woodcock,  L.,  &  Co 64 

Woodcock,  Smith  &  Co 56,57 

Wyatt,John 9 


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